‘I absolutely loved him’ – Conor Coady shares his memories of playing alongside ‘brave’ Diogo Jota
Conor Coady has paid a heartfelt tribute to his former teammate Diogo Jota, who died in a car crash in Spain last Thursday which also claimed the life of his brother Andre Silva.
They were laid to rest at a funeral service in their native Portugal on Saturday, with most of the Liverpool squad in attendance.
The former Reds defender played alongside the 28-year-old for three seasons at Wolves, and he’s recounted his experience of their time together at Molineux.
Coady pays tribute to Diogo Jota
As he reflected on Jota’s tragic death, Coady told BBC Sport: “I think we’ll all remember where we were, but it goes bigger than football what we’re all feeling now.
“This has hit everybody hard, and it will hit everybody hard for a long, long time because Diogo was a fantastic human being, an amazing friend, an amazing husband, an amazing father and an absolutely incredible footballer for all the clubs he has played for.
“He was an unbelievable person. This is celebrating an incredible human being. A human being who should never have left us this early and this [early] into an amazing career.”
Coady continued: “You could see it in his first session – that tenacity and the will to win was like no other. He was the heart and soul of the dressing room. He had a quiet way of going about himself but you knew you could go to him about anything. For me as a captain, it was an honour and a dream to play with him.”
“I used to always tell young people they need to learn from players like Diogo and Ruben [Neves], who were brave enough to step into the Championship to help a club who were struggling at that time.
“He was brave enough to bring his childhood sweetheart to Wolverhampton and really buy into the culture of England. He was such an example for everybody. I absolutely loved him. As a captain, he was a dream to work with, but it was a pleasure to call him a friend.”
A wonderful tribute from Coady
Coady’s eulogy speaks volumes for the strength of character that Diogo demonstrated in moving to England when he was only 20 and immediately settling into life at Molineux when Wolves were mid-table in the second tier.
By the time Jota signed for Liverpool three years later, the Old Gold had not only established themselves in the Premier League, but also reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League under Nuno Espirito Santo.
The qualities as a player and a person of which Coady spoke will have convinced the Reds to sign the Portuguese forward in 2020 – the insatiable will to win, the personality to integrate himself within the dressing room and earn his teammates’ respect, the courage to adapt to English football.
That testimony – along with another ex-Wolves teammate in Ruben Neves and LFC head coach Arne Slot – highlights the lasting impression that Diogo made on those who worked with him at Molineux and Anfield, and indeed the clubs he represented before coming to England in 2017.
His life was cruelly ended three days ago, but in his 28-and-a-half years, he made an impact which’ll ensure that his name lives on for generations.
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