Diogo Jota: Liverpool’s Portuguese forward was an example of hope and optimism to his nation

He continued faith and went from Gondomar to Pacos de Ferreira, then to Porto, Wolverhampton, and finally Liverpool.

Jota has become a symbol of hope and inspiration in the homeland. It has proven to an entire country that it is possible to reach the top even if the path is not a straight line.

Talent was always there.

To the extent that in his early days, when he started drawing some attention with Bakos, one of his former coaches, Jorge Simao, presented a great demand that Gota would be the successor of Cristiano Ronaldo.

It is clear that the player was surprised to hear it, but he immediately thought about himself, “If he believes in that, why can’t I do that?”

Gota was a rare case of the elite Portuguese football player who did not spend time in any of the three major academies – Benfica, Sporting and Porto.

“What distinguishes him from anyone else was the right mental side, and the way it was dominated by any situation – and I realized this very quickly,” Gilberto Andradi, a former young soccer coordinator in Bakos, told BBC Sport.

“I think there are moments, whether you are a coach, a coordinator or a director, there are words, things, they have a great impact on players. At that time, they may not completely understand them, but later they are reflected in their behavior, on how to train them, on how to live them day after day.

“And I think Gota, somewhat understood, which means to be a professional player, which means to be a good athlete, a good person. He was an example in this regard. An example, because success often leads many players to have a somewhat winding path because of the money they earn.

“But this was not the case with him. He was always very disciplined, very smart and very humble. He invested wisely, he knew what he was doing, and helped those who could. So I think this is the image that you should remain from.”