Jota’s tragic death shows that football and the incredible characters within it matter

If ‘football is meaningless when something like this happens,’ then why has everyone been so deeply impacted by Diogo Jota’s passing? Because it matters.

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Football matters
“It all just goes to show that football is meaningless when something like this happens” is a line I’ve seen trotted out a lot over the last few hours.

Forgive me, but that is some absolute bullshit. If anything, the tragic passing of Diogo Jota goes to show just how much it means to all of us. The reason we’re all so sad about this incident is because we feel connected to him, to the game, to the players we watch on TV twice or three times a week.

If football is meaningless, why should we care about someone we don’t know?

Except it does matter and we do care about these people and their impact on our lives is bigger than we realise at times like this. We don’t think of the players as human beings, but as invincible ones who transcend ‘real life’ and that this kind of thing can’t or won’t happen to.

And I say this as a 36-year-old man who is now sadly older than almost every active Premier League player.

So I’m not really sure what that phrase is supposed to imply, because at its core it’s completely inadequate at a time like this. I feel desperately sad about the passing of a man I’d never met, who’s never played for the team I support. And that’s because I care about football and all the characters that come with it.

Thoughts are with his wife, his children, his parents and everyone who loved him at this desperately sad time.

Everyone who loves football feels the same today. Because we care and it matters to us all, I’m afraid.
Joe, AFC, East Sussex

Oh his name was Diogo
Hours behind Spain and UK news (and mailbag) cycles and sound asleep when our player and his brother had their fateful accident.  Honestly so gutted, felt terrible seeing this news come up.

Perhaps also modern day cynicism but took only two hours for a dark thought to enter my mind imagining some yob next season tragedy chanting this; not that “some yob” would necessarily be literate and/or reading these pages.

I never understood people weaponizing Hillsborough, Heysel, Munich.  Can’t recall where I’d seen it but just last week a player was readying to take a corner when someone in the crowd mocked him for the death of his mother, bringing him to tears stood at a corner flag.  In what world ?

When people cross such obvious lines in life, it’s no longer about football support or representing your club.  You’d be representing yourselves, how you were raised, what values you’ve picked up in all our short time here.

Diogo Jota was, is, and will be loved.  I’d wish he forever cupped his ears for goals rather than to close them off from hearing the negative, soulless noises from this world.  What a player, what joy he brought.
Eric, Los Angeles CA

Ohhh his name is Diogo…

The news of Diogo Jota’s death is utterly devastating. Obviously, nothing a fan feels compares slightly to the hurt and loss of his friends and family.

However, I do feel a loss. One of my favourite games I’ve been to was the Carabao final in 2022. It was the first big event I’d been to since the lockdown, and the opportunity for us to celebrate a trophy that had been denied in the league winning year.

It was a day of pure joy, the release of it all was what made it one of the best games I’ve been to. And my abiding memory of it is singing the Jota song walking up the steps of Wembley. Thousands of us, in unison singing about a lad from Portugal (better than Figo, don’t you know?). It was a perfect day.

We lost the man responsible for that joy today. And it really fucking hurts.

For his friends and family the legacy he leaves behind will be one of personal love we can’t know. For me, and millions of fans like me, his legacy will be the joy we shared singing his name. That really means something. Rest in peace.
Dan

YNWA
I didn’t know Diogo, but I knew of him. As a United fan I’d put him down, underplay his ability, find the slightest of weaknesses and enlarge it so I could rank him as nothing more than average. It’s what football fans do, and so we should. It means nothing. In the real world, I always knew he had a goal in him. Knew that all he needed was the slightest of chances and he’d create something, and always knew he’d be on his game. I always knew he was a bit special.

For some reason, this has really hit hard. Like I said, I never knew him, but it feels personal. It could be because he was so young, or just married, or had young kids. All three. He was the bane of my life because he kept proving me wrong, and made me begrudgingly respect him through sheer talent alone. But it was more than this. He just seemed like such a good kid. So much talent, so much enthusiasm. You couldn’t help but like him.

I’ve often laughed at the sentiment behind You’ll Never Walk Alone, and I will again. But, this time, it seems fitting. Tonight, I get it. The lad deserves it. God love you Diogo, you’ll be missed.
Jimmy, Ordsall…

RIP
My wife and I were recently talking about our son who was 3 at the time. We both realised that if something happened to us in that moment he wouldn’t even remember us realistically.

And so the Jota news has left me so sad all day in part because I feel so awfully sorry for his little kids who will never know their father but also for his parents who sacrificed so much to help him and his brother become footballers and now they have to lay them both to rest.

Life can be so cruel but at least with Jota we can say he fought for everything, he achieved so much and brought an awful lot of joy to his family and the supporters of Porto, Wolves and Liverpool.

His life is a timely reminder that we should all cherish the people around us, and fight to make our dreams a reality.

Rest in peace Diogo.
Minty, LFC

What a brilliant and respectful player. A magician on the ball and boom, back of the net. A real bummer to see him leave us so soon. I was even picturing him to be The Future Of Liverpool attack.

Even though i’m deeply saddened, no one is more sad than his wife and kids. My heart goes to them as they push through the hard times.

RIP Legend Jota
Aaden