Klopp’s emotional tribute to Jota – ‘Bringed out the best in people’

Jota’s passing in July continues to leave a void at Anfield, with his sons among the mascots for Saturday’s 2-1 win at home to Wolves.

The outpouring of love for the Portuguese over the past five months has highlighted his popularity as a player and as a person.

Klopp worked with Jota for four years and got to know him deeply, and he has remembered the striker in a hugely moving article for The observer.

“Diogo Jota. I still smile every time I say or hear the name. Honestly, it brings a big, beaming grin to my face. Affection. Appreciation. Love.”

[…]

“In life he brought out the best in people and even after death this remained the same. Arne Slot, the staff and players of Liverpool. Roberto Martínez, the staff and players of Portugal.

“Supporters, rivals, opponents, teammates, politicians, community leaders, children – they all showed their very best side as a reflection of Diogo and everything he stood for. Could there be a more fitting tribute?

“Why was he so loved? For me it’s simple. Because people saw the very best of themselves in Diogo.

“Or perhaps the best of what we wanted to be. He was humble and authentic. He didn’t pretend to be anything other than who he was.”

“And in the tributes that came in, in those terrible hours and days after the accident, the words were always the same: he was nice, he was normal, he was sincere. Diogo was just Diogo. Unapologetic.”

“Although I remember the footballer with enormous pride, it is the person I remember most. But the great thing is: both versions of him shared the same qualities.”

Jota’s celebration towards Leicester fans – “So Diogo”

Klopp then perfectly summed up the person that Jota was, explaining how he stood up for Liverpool after the chants of poverty from Leicester fans in 2021.

“He was the representative of the supporters on the pitch,” Klopp wrote.

“As evidenced by his reaction to taking the winning penalty against Leicester City in the Carabao Cup – a match we ultimately won.

“He was shouting at the Anfield away section and I wondered why.

“I was later told that this was because he had objected to some Leicester supporters’ chants that evening about poverty in Liverpool. So Diogo.”

Klopp described Jota several times as a “joy” both on and off the pitch, adding that he “never forgot where he came from” and “never acted like a star.”

Jota’s death has been called “one of the most difficult moments I have ever had to deal with” by the German, admitting that “I still haven’t found any answers” when it comes to dealing with it.

It’s a wonderful tribute from Klopp and it highlights the bond he and Jota shared, and it remains difficult to come to terms with for teammates, managers and supporters.

Gone but never forgotten, Diogo.