Jota dialog: Portuguese forward Liverpool was an example of hope and optimism of his nation

He believed and walked from Gondamara to Slog de Ferreira, then in Porto, Vulverghapton and finally Liverpool.

Jota became a symbol of hope and inspiration home. He proved to the whole country that you can get to the top, even if the path is not straight.

Talent has always been there.

Yes, in the early days, when he began to attract attention with the mowing, one of his former coaches, Jorge Simao, made a great claim, saying that Jota would be the successor to Cristiano Ronaldo.

The player obviously was surprised to hear it, but immediately thought of himself, “If he believes in it, why can’t I do it?”

Jota was rarely a case of an elite Portuguese footballer who had never spent time in any of the three great academies – Benfica, sports and porting.

“What distinguished him from everyone else was a truly mental aspect of how he overcame any situation – and he understood it very quickly,” said former Coordinator Gilbert Andrade BBC Sport.

“I think there are moments when, be it coach, coordinator or director, there are words that said they had a great impact on players. At the time they may not fully understand, but later it is reflected in their behavior, in how they train as they live from day.

“And Joto, I think, to a certain extent with us, it means what it means to be a professional player, which means being a good athlete, a good man. He was an example in this regard. An example, because often success makes many players to have a slightly winding way out of the money they make.

“But it was not the case with him. He was always very disciplined, very intelligent, very modest. He put his mind, knew what he was doing, helped those who could. So I think it was the image that should stay from him.”