By Aayush Kataria
The football world was left in shock on Thursday (July 3) as news emerged of Diogo Jota and his brother Adrian’s death. Jota was a highly rated footballer, who played for Liverpool and was part of their Premier League-winning side. Jota also played a key role in helping the Cristiano Ronaldo-led Portugal side lift the 2023-25 UEFA Nations League trophy last month. Jota started his career with Portuguese side Pacos de Ferreira before moving to Atletico Madrid and also playing for FC Porto for a season on loan. He spent three seasons at English club Wolverhampton before moving to Liverpool. The attacker made his debut for Portugal in 2019 and has remained part of the national team ever since. In the 2022-23 season, Jota went through a tough phase in his career and almost went a year without scoring a goal. He also suffered multiple injuries, which prevented him the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. It took until April for Jota to score his first goal of the season. However, he made the most of his good form and ended the season with seven goals. In an interaction two years ago, Jota reflected on goal drought, which started on April 10, 2022 and ended on April 17, 2023 and credited Cristiano Ronaldo for helping him get through the period. The Portugese had revealed that it was a ketchup analogy by the five-time Ballon d’Or winner that gave him perspective on the situation. “This is a sentence that Ronaldo said, and it has stuck in my mind all these years. I think football is unpredictable and these are the things we love in this game of football. Things can change very quickly,” said Jota in an interaction with SKY Sports in 2023. 鈥淕oals, as a football legend once told me, are like ketchup. Sometimes, as much as you try, they don鈥檛 come out, and when they come, many come all at the same time,” said Ronaldo during the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Cristiano Ronaldo Reacts To Diogo Jota’s Tragic Death On Thursday, after Jota’s death was confirmed, Ronaldo took to social media and posted a moving tribute to his teammate. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 make sense. We were only just in the national team together, you had only just got married. To your family, your wife and your children, I send my condolences and wish them all the strength in the world. I know you鈥檒l always be with them. Rest in peace, Diogo and Andre. We鈥檒l all miss you,” wrote Ronaldo.