Some moments, you will never forget.
The people behind those moments leave lines of memories, tying it all together, shining a gleam of joy onto the lives of so many, that will never diminish.
In sport, genuine talent dazzles on the biggest stages, and Diogo Jota shone brightly. True greatness.
Diogo Jota’s last goal
Wednesday 4th April, Liverpool are on to win the league. It’s Everton at home, and things aren’t going according to plan.
Everyone was getting frustrated. The desperation, the thing that we had all waited all of our lives for seemed as though it was sinking back into doubt.
The ball bounces around on the edge of the penalty area at the Kop end. Luis Diaz pokes the ball back to Diogo Jota.
He takes the ball in his stride, knocks it inside Idrissa Gueye, then outside James Tarkowski and opens up his body, drilling the ball past Jordan Pickford.
Jota goes over to the Kop end and points to the badge. A signature slaloming Jota goal, the last goal of his life.
The Jota song was belted out by the crowd, the whole place on its feet, together in adulation for him. His parting gift.
True joy after he had picked up the ball, and taken the game by the scruff of the neck, fearless and there when Liverpool needed him most.
Diogo Jota’s moments
His moments in a Liverpool shirt, the 182 games, were among the best of recent years.
He was there on the biggest days, scoring the important equaliser at the City Ground against Nottingham Forest this season.
Diogo Jota played a starring role in winning Liverpool’s 20th league title.
The 28-year-old scored in that League Cup quarter-final against Leicester City, he had been sat on the bench and was frustrated by poverty chanting from some Leicester fans.
The Portuguese came on, scored the deciding penalty in the shootout and celebrated in front of the Leicester fans. He backed us till the end.
Jota scored that goal against Tottenham Hotspur, after the Reds had given up a 3-0 lead, and he scored the winning goal when all seemed lost.
I remember Burnley away, I was sat with the home fans. The Jota song was new and it rang around Turf Moor the whole game. When he came on for Sadio Mane the singing went up another notch.
Diogo Jota the person
I knew him as the footballer whose talents we were blessed to watch every week. Before Thursday, I only saw small windows into Diogo Jota’s personality and his life outside of football.
During Liverpool’s Premier League champions parade, a fan threw a scarf onto the bus for Jota to sign. Endo twirled the scarf before throwing it back, Jota seemed genuinely frustrated he couldn’t sign it.
He is survived by a family, who now must navigate a life without his sincerity and dedication that left a mark on all parts of his life.
The extensive testaments to his life serve to underline how much of a great human being he was.
His brother too, will never be forgotten, as Penafiel lose a huge part of their footballing family.
Diogo Jota is one of us, now and forever, an incredible human being and genuinely skilled footballer. He will never be sold, will never retire, forever a Red and a Premier League champion.
It was extraordinary to see the extent of the tributes at Anfield yesterday, the photos in my mind will remain, children walking away weeping.
The flowers, the balloons, the scarves from Celtic to Rangers, from Manchester United to Everton, and a whole lot of Liverpool.
The thing that stood out to me the most, a flag on the side of the main stand, in black and white, ‘DIOGO LIVES FOREVER’.
— Luke Birch (@LukeBSport) July 4, 2025
Diogo is loved deeply as a part of the Liverpool family, may he rest in peace.
He will Never Walk Alone.