Liverpool star Diogo Jota has died in a car crash, according to local reports in Spain.
The 28-year-old Portuguese forward died in a crash near Zamora, in northwestern Spain, according to the Spanish news agency EFE.
According to Marca, Jota and his brother Andre, also a professional footballer, both died when the vehicle they were travelling in came off the road in the province of Zamora and burst into flames.
Jota signed for Liverpool in September 2020 from Wolverhampton Wanderers for a fee of more than £40million.
Diogo Jota was born as Diogo José Teixeira da Silva on December 4, 1996 in the Massarelos area of Porto, Portugal.
Football Career
Jota began his club career with the youth setup of Paços de Ferreira in 2013. Subsequently, at the beginning of the 2014-15 season, he was promoted to the club’s main squad. Jota made his senior debut by starting in a 4-0 home victory over Atlético de Reguengos.
He went on to make his first Primeira Liga appearance in early 2015 as a substitute for Diogo Rosado in a 2-2 home tie with Vitória de Guimarāes. A few months later, Jota signed a new five-year contract with Paços.
In March of 2016, Jota signed a five-year contract with the La Liga club Atlético Madrid. Later, in August, he returned to Portugal to join FC Porto on a one-year loan. In October, Jota recorded a hat-trick in a 4-0 win against Nacional. He went on to participate in the 2016-17 UEFA Champions League, scoring his first competition goal in a 5-0 victory over Leicester City.
Jota joined the English Championship club Wolverhampton Wanderers on a season loan in the summer of 2017. With the club, he scored his first goal in a 3-2 victory over Hull City. In early 2018, it was reported that Jota had made a deal to remain with Wolverhampton.
During his first year, he scored a career-best 17 league goals as the club was promoted to the Premier Leagues. Jota subsequently made his debut in the English top division in a 2-2 home tie with Everton. In late 2018, he recorded his first competition goal in a 2-1 win over Chelsea. A little over a month later, in early 2019, Jota notched his second career hat-trick in a 4-3 win over Leicester City. He recorded another major accomplishment a couple months later with his winning goal against Manchester United in the FA Cup; in the process, the Wolves advanced to their first semifinal in that competition since 1997-98.
The 2019-20 season was Jota’s final with the Wolves. In July, he helped the club win over the Crusaders in the Europa League second qualifying round; this was the Wolves’ first European goal since 1980. The Wolves ultimately reached the final Europa League group stage, during which Jota came on as a substitute and completed a hat-trick to give his team the win. He scored another hat-trick in the first leg of the tournament’s last 32. Jota made his final Wolves appearance as a second-half substitute in the Europa League quarterfinal against Sevilla.
In September of 2020, Jota signed to Liverpool. He subsequently made his debut in the EFL Cup as a second-half substitute in a 7-2 victory over Lincoln City. Following this, Jota made his Premier League debut for Liverpool, scoring in a 3-1 win against Arsenal. In October, he scored the winning goal against Sheffield United; just three days after that, he scored Liverpool’s 10,000th goal. Jota continued his success in November, scoring a hat-trick in a 5-0 victory over Atalanta. However, his season came to a halt in December when he weathered a leg injury during a UEFA Champions League match; he was consequently sidelined for three months. Jota finished his debut season with Liverpool with nine league goals, helping the club finish third in the Premier League.
In September of 2020, Jota signed to Liverpool. He subsequently made his debut in the EFL Cup as a second-half substitute in a 7-2 victory over Lincoln City. Following this, Jota made his Premier League debut for Liverpool, scoring in a 3-1 win against Arsenal. In October, he scored the winning goal against Sheffield United; just three days after that, he scored Liverpool’s 10,000th goal. Jota continued his success in November, scoring a hat-trick in a 5-0 victory over Atalanta. However, his season came to a halt in December when he weathered a leg injury during a UEFA Champions League match; he was consequently sidelined for three months. Jota finished his debut season with Liverpool with nine league goals, helping the club finish third in the Premier League.
In 2021-22, Jota scored Liverpool’s first goal of the Premier League season in a 3-0 win over Norwich City. Later, he scored in a 5-0 victory over Manchester United and in a 2-0 home win against Atlético Madrid. In November, Jota recorded his fifth league goal of the season in a 4-0 victory against Arsenal. He followed this with goals in victories against Southampton, Everton, and Newcastle United. In early 2022, Jota scored both goals in Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over Arsenal in the second leg of the league cup semifinals. In the subsequent final against Chelsea, he helped Liverpool win its first league cup in a decade.
