Diogo Jota triumphs and remembers Atleti: “Leaving was the best option for my career”

Diogo Jota is Liverpool's new phenomenon. The Portuguese made the final leap at Wolverhampton and the reds They jumped for his signing in the summer. 44 million later for a player who is making a notable opposition to the trident Salah, Firmino and Mané with goals and outstanding performances.

Now, everything is going well, but before, he had to work hard. The young man arrived at Atlético from Paços Ferreira in exchange for seven million euros but did not make his debut in an official match and began to chain assignments. First, Porto and then Wolves, where he was transferred permanently in 2018 for 14 million euros. In The Athletic, Jota reviews how his jump to the rojiblanco team was and what he extracted for his future.

“I don't regret having gone to Atlético. They were in the Champions League final the season before I arrived.. The opportunity to be there and get through the entire preseason meant a lot to me and I learned a lot. I was hoping it was better, but no I don't regret it. In the end, at that time, leaving was the best option for my career. Each experience allows you to develop and grow. Although it does not go as you expected, you can learn everything in life and gain experience, “he said. for the British medium.

At Liverpool he feels more comfortable since his arrival. Klopp, he says, makes him feel cared for. “He is a fantastic coach who takes good care of me. When I first arrived, we had a meeting and he explained how the equipment worked. Then it's up to the player to learn fast and show the coach that you can be important. Liverpool have a great team and Jordan Henderson has been very important. He wrote to me as he knew he was going to sign for the club and it helped me a lot. “In the Anfield dressing room, he feels very integrated with the Brazilian clan and also with Adrián San Miguel. “With them I speak in Portuguese and they helped me a lot. With Adrián too, with whom I speak in Spanish. We have a great team and it is the basis of success,” he says.

Pay to play and an early goodbye to the pool

In this interview, Jota also reviewed his beginnings and acknowledges that he cried for football. But not because of any team, but because he wanted to play more and more. “I remember when I was six years old and my father signed me up for swimming. I asked him, crying, if he could change me to football because it was at the same time,” he says. The idol of that young Jota was Cristiano Ronaldo, of whom he assures that he is a model for all Portuguese and their hero.

During his adolescence, Diogo Jota was not a precocious talent detected by a great club that pocketed the salary of a first professional contract before being able to get his driver's license. In fact, he recognizes in The Athletic, he paid to play until he was 16 years old. “I kept paying to play when I was 16. Today there are 14 or 15 children who have professional contracts, which is great but it was not my case. Until I was 16, I played for fun. I was lucky to be in a place that was like family. We have all played together since we were nine years old. We did great things in the Gondomar “, sentence.