Diogo Jota: The Portuguese striker of Liverpool was an example of hope and optimism about his nation

He continued to believe and went from Gondomar to Pakos de Ferreira, then to Porto, Ulverhampton and finally Liverpool.

Jota became a symbol of hope and inspiration at home. He proved to the whole country that it is possible to reach the top, even if the path is not a straight line.

The talent has always been there.

So much that in his early days, when he began to pay some attention with Pacos, one of his former coaches, Jorge Simao, made a great claim, saying that Jota would be the heir to Cristiano Ronaldo.

The player was obviously surprised to hear this, but he immediately thought, “If he believed it, why can’t I do it?”

Jota was a rare case of an elite Portuguese footballer who has never spent time in any of the big three academies – Benfica, Sporting and Porto.

“What distinguished him from everyone else was really the psychic aspect, the way he overcame every situation – and he realized that very quickly,” Pacos Youth Football Coordinator Gilberto Andrade told the BBC Sport.

“I think there are times when, whether you are a coach, coordinator or director, there are words, things that have a great influence on players. At that time, they may not understand it completely, but later it is reflected in their behavior, how they train, how they live every day.

“And Jota, in my opinion, to some extent, realized what it means to be a professional player, what it means to be a good athlete, a good person. He was an example in this regard. An example, because often success makes many players have somewhat me wrongfully due to the money they make.

“But it was not so with him. He was always very disciplined, very intelligent, very humble. He invests wisely, knew what he was doing, helped those who could. So I think this was the image that should remain from him.”