'Such an example for everybody'
Coady has been speaking to BBC Sport about the shock passing of his friend on Thursday and recalled how the Portugal striker made an instant impression at Molineux.
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"You could see it in his first session - that tenacity and the will to win was like no other," said 32-year-old Coady.
"He was the heart and soul of the dressing room. He had a quiet way of going about himself. But you knew you could go to him about anything. For me as a captain, it was an honour and a dream to play with him."
Before moving to England, Jota had already played under Wolves head coach Nuno Espirito Santo while on loan at Porto, and also reunited with his former Porto and Portugal Under-21 team-mate Ruben Neves at the club.
"He was born to play in the Premier League but Wolves were in the Championship," said Coady. "I used to always tell young people they need to learn from players like Diogo and Ruben, who were brave enough to step into the Championship to help a club who were struggling at that time.
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"He was brave enough to bring his childhood sweetheart to Wolverhampton and really buy into the culture of England. He was such an example for everybody.
"I absolutely loved him. As a captain, he was a dream to work with. But it was a pleasure to call him a friend."
Read more from Coady over here
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