Interview: Diogo Jota

When Portugal lifted the last European Championship trophy, Diogo Jota was watching on from home. Aged 20, and newly transferred to Atletico Madrid where he wouldn’t actually make a first-team appearance, the chance to play for his country at a major tournament was very much a distant dream for the boy from Porto.

Five years is a very long time in football, however. Jota only made his debut for Portugal in November, but the Liverpool forward is already a key member of the team hoping to retain their title. He has enjoyed a superb debut season at Anfield following his Dhs212m move from Wolves last summer, and now the clamour to get the 24-year-old into Fernando Santos’ starting XI is practically febrile. Whisper it quietly, but some supporters would even prefer him to Cristiano Ronaldo.

Jota had bagged 12 goals for Jurgen Klopp’s side by December before a knee injury halted his fine progress for as many weeks. In March, though, he simply picked up where he left off and ended the season strongly for both club and country – see three goals for Portugal in their World Cup qualifiers against Serbia and Luxembourg.

Liverpool may have relinquished their Premier League title, but Jota won’t give up Portugal’s crown easily, despite being drawn in this tournament’s scary-looking Group of Death alongside the last two world champions in France and Germany,

Above Jota proved 2020 could be good, in joining Liverpool Top right Portugal pals bridge a divide Above right The forward bagged 44 goals in 131 games at Molineux plus a resurgent Hungary who held CR7 & Co to a surprise 3-3 draw at Euro 2016.

But why wouldn’t Portugal be confident going into this tournament? With Ronaldo preparing to play in his fifth Euros, plus a deadly arsenal of stars that includes Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes, Manchester City duo Ruben Dias and Bernardo Silva, not to mention former Wolves team-mate Ruben Neves, many regard this as Portugal’s strongest crop of players for some time. You can see why.

For the first six iterations of the Euros, Portugal didn’t even qualify – then made the semi-finals at their first attempt in 1984. Since then, they’ve at least made that stage in four of their last six tries. Make no mistake: 2016’s victors have some serious chops in this competition.

But what does Jota make of Portugal’s chances of repeating their success of 2016? How has he enjoyed his stint at Liverpool so far? And is he really like Ronnie? We asked him that and more...

What do you remember about Euro 2004 that was held on home soil?

It’s my first football memory! It was a big thing across the country. Portugal had reached the Euros final for the first time ever, but lost to Greece. I still remember watching the quarter-final game against England and not believing how Ricardo managed to stop a penalty without his gloves on. That was such a remarkable moment for me – I was in the living room with my dad and my brother, and we were all so happy. We obviously weren’t expecting the Greek team to pour cold water on our dreams.

But at least you managed to celebrate the title in 2016...

That was different for me. I had just made it to Atletico Madrid [from Paços de Ferreira], and so I was already in pre-season in Spain and had to follow our whole campaign from there. I was so proud – I really think we deserved to be European champions in the end.

Could you already picture yourself at the next Euros tournament?

Not really, it didn’t cross my mind back then – making long-term plans isn’t for me. I enjoy thinking about my future, but only the immediate future. So much can happen in four years – I obviously had the dream and ambition of getting to the national team as soon as possible, though, and fortunately that ended up happening. I was supposed to play my first Euros last year but it was postponed, so now I’m looking forward to representing Portugal for the first time in a major tournament.

Many people in Portugal criticised your move to Wolves back in 2017, but it seems to have paid off, doesn’t it?

A short while ago, I saw a Transfermarkt study that had the Championship as the sixth-most valuable league in Europe. The

“I WAS STILL PAYING TO PLAY

WHEN I WAS 16...

FIVE YEARS AGO, DIOGO JOTA WATCHED PORTUGAL AS A FAN – THIS SUMMER, HE’S ONE OF THEIR MOST IMPORTANT PLAYERS AS THEY GO FOR GLORY. LIVERPOOL’S NEW HERO HAS GOT HERE THE LONG WAY AROUND… BUT NOW HE’S VERY MUCH HERE TO STAY

Interview Marcus Alves

WHAT I’VE ACHIEVED IS UNUSUAL”

It was a really proud moment to have my name associated with Cristiano “ ”

Portuguese league, meanwhile, was listed fifth. From that perspective you may say moving there was a step back at that moment, but I found the Championship very competitive. It’s not just that, it’s about the project too – and in my opinion, Wolves have the right people running the club. Sometimes, you need to take a step back to take two steps forward. In the end, things went well and it was the right decision, even if it sounded risky then.

Is it true that even your family doubted your move to Molineux?

I had an uncle who asked why I was doing it. But he agrees with me now! I must admit that even when I first heard about it from my agent Jorge Mendes, I wasn’t totally sold on the idea. He eventually convinced me and now says, “See how I was right all along?!” [Laughs]

Along with Bruno, you’re a remarkable case of an elite Portuguese player who never spent time at a big academy in the country. How tough was that?

I have no doubt it was more challenging. If it’s already difficult to make it as a pro having played in one of the country’s top academies [Benfica, Sporting and Porto], imagine if you come from outside them – the percentage of players who achieve it is even smaller. I was still paying to play when I was 16 years old, so I’m pretty aware that what I’ve managed is quite unusual. It’s not every day that you see someone who has never featured for a big side growing up and getting to the national team.

How did you react when one of your former coaches once compared you to Cristiano Ronaldo?

[Laughs] Obviously, I was a bit surprised to hear those words from mister Jorge Simao, because I didn’t realise he rated me that highly [at Paços de Ferreira] and wasn’t expecting him to say it publicly. But at the same time, it made me think that if he believes in that, why can’t I? It was a proud moment to have my name associated with a footballer like Cristiano – it gave me confidence to do my work.

And what’s it like playing with him?

Cristiano was an idol for me – I watched him playing at the highest level with Manchester United, winning the Ballon

Above Who needs Porto when you could have Wolves?; Clockwise from top, centre “Is this how you do it, Ronnie?”; Jota debuted for Portugal in 2019; ...and replaced his hero in doing so; Wolves’ (then) four Portugeezers bask in their fine 2019 Nations League win; Diogo feels the love from gaffer Klopp d’Or. Being Portuguese, I’ve always looked up to him as an example to follow. I made my international debut coming on for him against Lithuania [in November 2019], which made that moment extra special. I can only be grateful for playing with him.

Many consider this to be Portugal’s best crop of players ever. What’s the secret behind it?

Honestly, I can’t find an explanation, but that’s not for me to answer either, so that’s all right! [Laughs] What I do know is that Portugal have been doing a very good job in terms of youth football for years, and we are now reaping the fruits of it. A generation of players like the one we have doesn’t come out of nowhere, which means that we were already doing things well 15 years ago.

What did you think when you saw the draw – Portugal, France and Germany all in the same group?

I’ve already been asked this question and always stress that Hungary are also part of our group. It’s worth remembering that when Portugal won Euro 2016, we failed to beat them [in a 3-3 draw]. Obviously we were handed a very difficult draw, but this is the Euros – it was never meant to be easy. Regardless of that, we know the quality we have, so if we’re able to build a good team in the true sense of the word, we’re capable of getting through.

We’re reaping the fruits of what we have been doing in youth football “

How do you rate England’s chances at the tournament?

In the last World Cup, they managed to go all the way to the semi-finals, were very excited about it and decided to keep their manager [Gareth Southgate] after. I believe they will have a say again in this tournament.

How difficult was that spell out injured for you earlier this season, particularly as Liverpool were struggling?

I was sidelined for almost three months – it was the longest time I’ve been out since I became a professional footballer. And possibly at one of the worst times ever too, because things were going well for me. I just wanted to continue what I was doing, but I couldn’t help the team; then results on the pitch weren’t the best and my frustration was growing. But now I’m back and it’s pointless to think about that – I’d rather focus on what I can do to improve the situation. That’s what I’ve been doing since.

In terms of preparation, do you do anything special ahead of the Euros?

Not really, I work the same way I always have. Obviously, everybody knows we’ve got this competition around the corner, but I don’t like to put the cart before the horse – I take a game at a time because that’s how I got this far. I’ll only be able to keep my place with this mentality.