A plan was quietly forming behind the scenes to carry Diogo Jota again to his boyhood roots in Portugal earlier than his life was tragically reduce brief final week.
FC Porto president Andre Villas-Boas has revealed the membership have been in discussions with Jota’s agent, Jorge Mendes, over a possible return in 2026 – a yr earlier than his Liverpool contract was attributable to expire.
It provides one other layer of heartbreak to the lack of our ahead and his youthful brother Andre Silva, who each died in a automobile crash on Thursday morning (3 July) whereas returning to England for the beginning of pre-season.
Villas-Boas shares personal message given to Jota earlier than tragedy
Talking on the funeral in Gondomar (through liverpool.com), the place lots of Jota’s team-mates and former coaches gathered to say goodbye, Villas-Boas instructed Porto Canal: “We have been working with agent Jorge Mendes on Diogo Jota’s return to FC Porto, and it received’t be attainable.”
The previous Chelsea and Spurs boss went on to say that the membership had begun inside discussions relating to a return within the 2026/27 season.
He additionally confirmed he had handed on the curiosity on to Jota himself: “I made a degree of conveying that message to Diogo, by way of Jorge Mendes, at his marriage ceremony, and it was a dream for all of the Porto followers that it had occurred.”
Jota solely spent one season enjoying for the Portuguese giants, in 2016/17, however the connection clearly ran far deeper.
His brother Andre additionally spent youth in Porto’s academy earlier than transferring on to Penafiel.
In a transferring gesture, Villas-Boas revealed that each brothers had now been made official Porto members.
“Diogo wasn’t a member [of the club], however he turned one at the moment,” he mentioned, earlier than confirming that membership playing cards have been left on the memorial.
“In Andre Silva’s case, we symbolically recovered his membership charges and gave them to his household.”
Jota’s quiet affect stretched far past the pitch
As Villas-Boas defined: “Diogo, particularly as the best public determine, was a silent hero… Somebody who will probably be remembered fondly, similar to his brother.”
He was additionally a companion of Porto’s Esports workforce, strengthening his bond with the membership and supporters regardless of his success overseas.
Whereas any return to the Estadio do Dragao will now solely reside in reminiscence, the sentiment stays highly effective – one other instance of the immense respect and admiration Jota earned throughout his profession.
