03-07-2025
Diogo Jota's classy act of humility left me and my U13s team stunned – he was a credit to his family and football
I CAN'T claim to have known Diogo Jota particularly well.
A few post-match interviews, grabbed in mixed zones at Molineux and other grounds.
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One or two one-to-one interviews while he was with Wolves. The odd passing nod of the head, handshake, brief cordial greeting if we happened to cross paths.
But a few things stood out about the Portuguese striker. His friendly nature, his humility and his kindness shone through.
He never treated the media as the enemy as so many modern players do.
He was genuinely pleased to share his thoughts with journalists. He was utterly charming.
I remember him apologising to me for his poor English when we chatted on the pitch after Wolves Europa League tie against Crusaders in Belfast in 2019.
I told him, as a Scot, I should be apologising to him because his use of the language was a lot better than mine!
I asked him how he had become so fluent, so quickly.
He just shrugged and said: "In Portugal, we teach English in school from an early age. I'm not special."
'Heartbroken' Ronaldo leads tributes to Diogo Jota as football mourns Liverpool & Portugal star
But he was special. A special player. A special human being.
I've coached kids football teams for all of my adult life and my Under-13s had reached a local cup final.
It was a big deal for the boys and we wanted to make it a big occasion for them, knowing for many of them, this would probably be as good as it got.
We were a village team - Premier League scouts weren't exactly flocking to our games in search of the next Diogo Jota.
I asked Diogo if he would be kind enough to send a short video message to the lads, wishing them luck in their first ever final.
He graciously agreed and we showed the team his personal video message in the dressing-room before kick-off.
That was nice of him - especially as we went on to win the final 3-2 against a club we'd never beaten before.
A couple of weeks later I bumped into Diogo at Wolves' Compton Training Ground.
"How did your boys do in the final?" he asked me.
He was genuinely pleased when I joked that his words of encouragement made the difference between winning and losing.
I couldn't believe such a superstar would even remember giving a few seconds of his time to a bunch of kids he'd never even met.
But it summed up the man for me - a true gentleman and a credit to himself, his family, his club, his nation and to the game of football.
Football can be a cut-throat business at times but Diogo Jota was proof that nice guys do win sometimes.
The game will be so much poorer without him and my thoughts are with his family and friends following the loss of Diogo and his brother Andre.
The Liverpool star, 28, died alongside his brother in a car accident in Spain on their way to catch a ferry to the UK.
Only 11 days ago, he married childhood sweetheart Rute Cardoso in a beautiful ceremony.
The couple had three children - Dinis, four, Duarte, two, and a daughter who was born in 2024.
The Portuguese FA shared a heartbreaking statement that read: "The Portuguese Football Federation and all of Portuguese football are completely devastated by the deaths of Diogo Jota and André Silva, this morning, in Spain.
"Much more than an amazing player, with almost 50 internationalizations for the National A Team, Diogo Jota was an extraordinary person, respected by all teammates and opponents, someone with an infectious joy and a reference in the community itself.
"On my behalf, and on behalf of the Portuguese Football Federation, I express my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Diogo and Andre Silva, as well as Liverpool FC and FC Penafiel, the clubs where, respectively, lined up the players.
"The Portuguese Football Federation has already asked UEFA for a minute's silence, this Thursday, before the match of our national team with Spain, in the women's European Championship, lost to two champs.
"The disappearance of Diogo and Andre Silva represents irreparable losses for Portuguese football and we will do everything to, daily, honour their legacy."
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