Playing for Diogo

Portugal beat Croatia 2–1 this week after coming from behind, securing their place in the last 16 of the 2026 World Cup.

After the match, the Portuguese players posed for photos holding the national team’s number 21 shirt, worn by Diogo Jota.

In the stadium, it was hard to find anyone who wasn’t moved, including Portugal’s all-time leading goalscorer, Cristiano Ronaldo. After the match, the five-time winner of the ‘Ballon d’Or’ wrote on social media: ‘We won for ourselves, for Diogo and for Portugal!’ (Instagram)

Exactly one year ago, Jota and his younger brother, André Silva – also a professional footballer – died tragically in a car crash in the province of Zamora, Spain.

It was a huge loss for football.

Jota was only 28 years old, but had already built an impressive career both for his clubs and for the Portuguese national team.

Unlike most of the big names in Portuguese football, Diogo Jota did not come through the youth ranks at Benfica, Sporting CP or Porto. Discovered by Paços de Ferreira, he began to truly build his legacy when he arrived in England in July 2017 to play for Wolverhampton Wanderers on loan.

The Wolves’ idol

At the time, the club were competing in the EFL Championship, the English second tier. Jota was one of the key figures in Wolves’ so-called “Portuguese Revolution”, led by manager Nuno Espírito Santo and driven by a talented generation of Portuguese players.

The impact was immediate. In his very first season, he scored 17 goals and finished as the competition’s fifth-highest goalscorer.

Having won the Championship title and secured promotion to the Premier League, Wolves wasted no time in signing Jota on a permanent basis. It proved to be a masterstroke. In three seasons and 131 appearances for the club, the forward scored 44 goals and provided 19 assists, as well as joining the ranks of the top 25 all-time goalscorers in Wolves’ history.

Several of these goals came at decisive moments for Wolves.

Such as the hat-trick against Leicester City in January 2019, which made him the first Portuguese player to score three goals in a Premier League match since Cristiano Ronaldo, more than ten years earlier. He was also the first Wolves player to achieve this feat in the English top flight since John Richards in 1977.

Or the winning goal against Manchester United in the quarter-finals of the 2018–19 FA Cup, which took Wolves to their first semi-final in the competition since 1997–98.

Then there was the goal against Northern Ireland’s Crusaders in the Europa League qualifying round, which ended the club’s nearly 40-year goal drought in European competitions.

And, in the final match of the group stage of that tournament, against Beşiktaş, Jota came on in the 56th minute, scored just one minute later and completed a hat-trick in just 12 minutes.

It didn’t take long for him to become one of the fans’ greatest idols. Jota was a key figure in Wolves’ resurgence and, following his death, received one of the greatest honours possible: he was inducted into the club’s Hall of Fame.

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His breakthrough at Anfield

In September 2020, Jota took another step forward in his career by moving to Liverpool. And he did exactly what he was known for: deciding matches and scoring crucial goals.

He found the net on his very first appearance for the Reds.

In his very first season, he scored the 10,000th goal in the club’s history and became the first Liverpool player to score in each of his first four Premier League home matches.

He became the first Liverpool player to score in each of his first four home matches in the Premier League.

He also made his mark with a stunning backheel goal in the victory over rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford, a result that helped Liverpool secure third place in the Premier League and a place in the Champions League.

At the end of 2021, he scored in the victory over Newcastle United, which went down in history as Liverpool’s 2,000th win in the English top flight.

During the 2021–22 League Cup title-winning campaign, he shone once again: he scored both goals in the semi-final against Arsenal and, in the final, converted his penalty against Chelsea, helping Liverpool end a ten-year drought without winning the competition.

A few months later, he repeated the feat in the FA Cup final. Once again against Chelsea, he coolly converted his penalty and helped Liverpool secure their eighth title in the competition.

In total, Jota made 182 appearances for the club, scoring 65 goals and providing 26 assists over five seasons. He also won the Premier League in his final year at Anfield.

His final goal for Liverpool was the stuff of legends: the winner against Everton in the Merseyside derby at Anfield.

Following his death, the club announced that the number 20 shirt would be retired in his honour.

The pride of the national team

For the Portuguese national team, Jota also quickly became a key player. Since making his debut in 2019, he has played 49 matches, scored 14 goals and provided 12 assists.

In 2023, he was one of the standout players in the 9–0 thrashing of Luxembourg in the 2024 European Championship qualifiers. On that occasion, he scored two goals in Portugal’s biggest ever victory in international competition.

Two years later, he was part of the squad that won the national team’s second Nations League title.

There was something symbolic about Portugal’s victory over Croatia yesterday, coming on the very eve of the first anniversary of Jota’s death.

After all, his first goal for the senior national team, in September 2020, had been against the Croatians.

An enduring legacy

Over the past year, Jota’s untimely death has continued to move the world of football. Players, managers, journalists and fans have paid constant tribute to the striker, as have politicians and other public figures.

At last year’s ‘Ballon d’Or’ ceremony in Paris, Jota and his brother André were also honoured with a minute’s silence and a tribute video dedicated to the pair, in the presence of their family.

Portugal’s victory on the eve of the first anniversary of Jota’s death was not the only tribute of the day.

Also yesterday, Anfield unveiled a permanent memorial in honour of Diogo Jota and André Silva. Meanwhile, the Portuguese Football Federation unveiled a bronze sculpture dedicated to the pair at its training centre on the outskirts of Lisbon.

At this World Cup, Portugal take to the pitch without one of their most beloved strikers – a player admired for his versatility, pace, one-on-one ability and eye for goal.

But his presence continues to be felt at every turn.

When manager Roberto Martínez announced the squad for the tournament, Jota was included as an honorary member.

Before their opening match against DR Congo, the national team paid tribute to the forward. The same happened before their victory over Croatia.

Rúben Neves, who shared a dressing room with Jota at both Porto and Wolverhampton, also carries a lasting memento of his friend: a tattoo in his honour on his leg.

Martínez was moved to tears after qualification, in a moment that went far beyond the joy of securing a place in the round of 16.

After the match, he reflected: “Playing against Croatia, the last team against whom Diogo Jota scored, winning 2–1… and Diogo Jota’s number 21. There are so many signs. Very beautiful signs of the strength and energy that Diogo brought to the national team. We have a responsibility to continue honouring his legacy, upholding the team values he always represented. He is our guiding light in this World Cup.” (Observador)

Driven by the memory of Jota and the desire to honour his legacy, Portugal now turns its attention to the clash against Spain in the World Cup round of 16 on Monday.