| This has been evident in the range of tributes for Jota and his brother from Liverpool teammates, his former clubs, his Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo, rival Premier League sides, Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin and Portugal’s prime minister Luís Montenegro, who said Jota “was an athlete who greatly honoured Portugal’s name”. The Portuguese FA president Pedro Proença spoke of Jota’s warm personality, something that seemed evident in post-match interviews when the forward would often be smiling broadly and looking delighted to be living out his dream: “Much more than a fantastic player, who played almost 50 matches for the national A team, Diogo Jota was an extraordinary person, respected by all his teammates and opponents, someone with an infectious joy and a reference in the community itself.” Jürgen Klopp said he was “heartbroken” to lose “a great friend … we will miss you so much!” Jota’s career has been a decorated one. He won the Championship, the Premier League, the FA Cup and League Cup as well as playing in a Champions League final with Liverpool. And in his last match, for Portugal against Spain, he won the Nations League for a second time. But at only 28 he was at the peak of his powers and had much more to give. It is unendingly sad. His 65 goals in 182 Liverpool appearances seem remarkable considering he was unfortunate with injury layoffs. Fans were desperate to see more of him – as the song goes – cutting inside and scoring for LFC. His last Liverpool goal was Jota in a nutshell. It was a derby winner against Everton in April, in which he wriggled through a group of defenders before taking his shot so early it left everyone flat-footed. And off he went, celebrating in front of those fans who loved him. Those fans who felt that connection. Those fans who won’t forget the memories he left behind and who, no doubt, will sing his name for years to come. RIP, Diogo and André. YNWA. | 