'A symbol of hope & inspiration - Jota was a Portuguese hero'

"It's not astir wherever we travel from, but wherever we're going to."

The condemnation tin beryllium recovered astatine the entranceway of the Gondomar FC academy followed by a representation of its illustrious lad Diogo Jota wearing the colours of the nine helium played for betwixt the ages of 9 and 17.

Right adjacent to it, there's different 1 of him with the Portugal nationalist squad garment too.

That's however acold Jota went.

Since 2022, it has been renamed arsenic the Diogo Jota academy.

Those words, said by the guardant himself aft scoring doubly successful a 3-0 triumph against Sweden successful the Nations League successful 2020, exemplify precisely who helium was.

The 28-year-old, who died on with his member Andre Silva connected Thursday pursuing a car mishap successful Spain, spent astir each his formative years successful his hometown with a third-tier team, paying astir 20 euros each period to play for them portion being overlooked by the large sides due to the fact that of his size.

Despite the odds, helium ne'er gave up.

He kept believing and went from Gondomar to Pacos de Ferreira, past to Porto, Wolverhampton and yet Liverpool.

Jota became a awesome of anticipation and inspiration backmost home. He proved to an full state that it's imaginable to scope the apical adjacent if the way isn't a consecutive line.

The endowment had ever been there.

So overmuch truthful that successful his aboriginal days, erstwhile helium was starting to gully immoderate attraction with Pacos, 1 of his erstwhile coaches, Jorge Simao, made a large assertion by saying Jota would beryllium Cristiano Ronaldo's successor.

The subordinate was evidently amazed to perceive that, but instantly thought to himself, 'If helium believes successful that, wherefore can't I bash that?'

Jota was a uncommon lawsuit of an elite Portuguese footballer who ne'er spent clip astatine immoderate of the large 3 academies - Benfica, Sporting and Porto.

"What acceptable him isolated from everyone other was truly the intelligence aspect, the mode helium overcame immoderate concern - and helium realised that precise quickly," erstwhile Pacos' younker shot coordinator Gilberto Andrade told BBC Sport.

"I deliberation determination are moments when, whether you're a coach, a coordinator, oregon a director, determination are words, things said, that person a large interaction connected players. At the time, possibly they don't afloat recognize it, but aboriginal it reflects successful their behaviour, successful however they train, successful however they unrecorded time to day.

"And Jota, I think, to immoderate grade with us, understood what it meant to beryllium a nonrecreational player, what it meant to beryllium a bully athlete, a bully person. He was an illustration successful that regard. An example, due to the fact that often occurrence leads galore players to person a somewhat winding way owed to the wealth they make.

"But that wasn't the lawsuit with him. He was ever precise disciplined, precise intelligent, precise humble. He invested wisely, knew what helium was doing, helped those helium could. So I deliberation this is the representation that indispensable stay of him."

Jota took the agelong road, but ever had it wide wherever helium was going.

That became evident to Andrade the time helium came to him with an antithetic request. "I privation to larn a overseas language. Someday, I mightiness play overseas and I've got to beryllium ready," said Jota.

The Gondomar lad was inactive young but had spent agelong capable extracurricular the radar of the Portuguese powerhouses to realise his aboriginal could beryllium acold distant from his location country.

"He knew precise good wherever helium was going," recalled Andrade, who has besides worked successful Italy, Belgium and Saudi Arabia.

"Back then, I had those audio connection courses, truthful I handed immoderate of them to him. Soon, however, helium realised they weren't capable - helium really needed a teacher. For him, it was evident that helium was going to request it aboriginal successful his career. He was this different."

For a little moment, Jota feared his vocation would beryllium astatine hazard pursuing a bosom occupation diagnosed during aesculapian tests up of the 2014-15 season.

He was not allowed to bid for astir a month.

"Do not enactment the cart earlier the horse," helium utilized to reply to anyone who came to him disquieted astir the concern astatine the time.

That was however helium lived his beingness – taking it time by day.

Jota rapidly established himself arsenic 1 of the rising talents of the Portuguese league aft that, but didn't alteration a bit.

The fig of teams funny successful his services kept rising and yet helium chose to stay surviving successful the club's dormitory with different academy graduates and trialists that came and went until his precise past time astatine Pacos. He was the lone first-team subordinate surviving there.

"He wouldn't permission his room. He was solely focused connected his work, determination was nary clip for distractions erstwhile it came to him," added Andrade.

Jota ever knew wherever helium was heading and, passim his life, helium proved clip and again the travel mattered much than the starting point.

His voyage to becoming a Portuguese leader was a beauteous one.