Months after Diogo Jota officially became a Liverpool player his father reflected fondly and proudly of his son’s journey, words that are now especially poignant.
There can be few words to convey the devastation Jota’s family are currently facing after the tragic deaths of Diogo and Andre.
The brothers were laid to rest on Saturday in their hometown of Gondomar, Portugal, with Liverpool players and staff in attendance to pay their respects.
Diogo and Andre were the only children of Joaquim and Isabel Silva, and their pride in their children was underlined when they spoke to Maisfutebol in 2020, months after Liverpool signed their No. 20.
What you will find in the words to follow is the story of a humble family who did everything to support the dreams of their two sons.
“Diogo only saw that in front of him. In his grandmother’s backyard, he broke many pots and plants,” Joaquim Silva, his father, reflected.
“It was a space measuring three meters by 15. He spent a lot of his free time there.
“The only thing we wanted was for him to play sports, so that he would be physically and mentally healthy. At the same time, that way we would always know where he was and we felt that he was well looked after.
“He started out as a left midfielder. He was forced to do that to improve his left foot. And it worked.
“He then moved on to attacking midfielder, number ten. And then he was a forward and left winger. Diogo didn’t really like being a winger, because he wasn’t a player for crossing. But he grew up playing in that position.
“The feedback from those in charge at Pacos de Ferreira (where Jota turned professional) was great. They told us that Diogo was very responsible and mature.
“That was enough for us, knowing that our son behaved well was better than seeing him become a star. We felt that our job had been well done.
“He saw first-hand the difficulties his parents faced. We were factory workers, we didn’t earn much above the minimum wage and we never hid our limitations from our children.
“It wasn’t easy having two sons in football and paying what we paid. Diogo never asked us for anything. He never asked us or said he would like to have branded football boots.
“He knew it wasn’t possible, he already had that sensitivity. That’s why he knows how to value things, value life.
“All he wanted was football and the PlayStation. He never went out at night when he was a teenager, except for his birthday.
“He never went out for dinner, nights out, nothing. He stayed at home. I even told him sometimes to go.
“For Diogo, if there was football in the afternoon and PlayStation in the evening, that was fine. We gave him, with great difficulty, his first PlayStation and he didn’t ask us for it.
“He never asked us for anything.”
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