Diogo Jota is the undisputed champion in the Liverpool squad when it comes to playing the video game FIFA.
Shortly before moving to Anfield last year, he won the inaugural ePremier League invitational tournament after beating Trent Alexander-Arnold in the final.
In fact, he’s so good with a controller in his hands that in February he was ranked No 1 in the world on the FIFA Ultimate Team Champions leaderboard after securing 30 successive wins.
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It’s his passion away from the AXA Training Centre and he has set up his own esports team. It’s no publicity stunt, it’s a serious business and Jota is genuinely elite. On Saturday, he was scheduled to compete in the fourth round of the qualifiers for the FIFA 22 Global Series but he had to message his opponent and politely withdraw.
The Portugal international had a decent excuse. Jurgen Klopp needed him to lead the line against Southampton at Anfield.
The day job took precedence and he delivered in style. His celebration after he had tucked away Andrew Robertson’s cross inside two minutes involved sitting on the turf and pretending he was playing on his Playstation before he was mobbed by his team-mates.
There was another close-range finish after Mohamed Salah put one on a plate for him. Jota was a menace throughout. He tormented the visitors’ overworked back line with his energy and intelligent movement. He departed late on to a standing ovation and a bear hug from his manager.
Liverpool desperately needed him to step up in the absence of the injured Roberto Firmino and Jota hasn’t let them down. That’s five goals in his past five starts.
With the Africa Cup of Nations on the horizon, which will deny Klopp the services of prolific attackers Salah and Sadio Mane throughout January, the responsibility on Jota’s shoulders will keep growing. He looks ready to embrace that.
“Diogo is an exceptional player and an exceptional boy,” says Klopp. “He was a perfect signing for us because he has everything that a Liverpool player in this squad needs. He has the technical and physical skills, and he is very smart, so can learn all the tactical stuff quickly.
“On top of that, he can play all three positions (across the front line) and in a 4-2-3-1, he could play as the No 10. Very helpful. He has the speed and the desire to finish attacking moves. His goal record is pretty impressive.”
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It is. He has 21 goals in 46 appearances (32 starts) since his £45 million move from Wolverhampton Wanderers in September 2020.
The decision to pursue a deal for Jota rather than Watford’s Ismaila Sarr has proven to be a shrewd one. The speed at which Jota adjusted to his new surroundings was remarkable.
Jota, whose girlfriend Rute gave birth to their first child this year, became the first player in Liverpool’s history to score in his first four home top-flight matches and he walked away clutching the match ball after a Champions League hat-trick against Atalanta.
He would have achieved much more last season but for the knee injury that kept him sidelined for three months and he was sorely missed as results nosedived.
Assistant manager Pep Lijnders described him as “a pressing monster” and team-mates quickly warmed to his humility and burning desire to succeed. His steely personality was shaped by the knockbacks he received en route to the top. He told The Athletic last season how he was still paying to play football up to the age of 16.
Growing up in Massarelos in the Porto municipality, he didn’t learn his trade in an elite academy but at lower-league Gondomar before moving to Pacos de Ferreira. He was signed by Atletico Madrid but was shipped out without playing a competitive game for them.
Some players would have been deterred by the prospect of having to compete with the established front three of Salah, Mane and Firmino for a starting spot. But Jota embraced that challenge and has proven he is much more than a high-calibre back-up. Only Salah and Jamie Vardy have more than his seven goals in the Premier League this season.
“When you hypothetically talk to a player and he says, ‘Where will I play?’, you decide that with your performances,” adds Klopp. “It’s not written in stone that we always start with the same line-up. In the end, it’s about making 35 really good games instead of getting somehow through a season and playing 50 games. It’s completely normal that you have to get rested.
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“You need more than three strikers, even when you play with three strikers, and that’s what we have, thank God. Diogo was smart enough to see that and that’s why he made the move and that’s why he can contribute so well.”
The service Jota was provided with on Saturday was a striker’s dream. It certainly helped that Robertson looked back to his brilliant best on his return to the starting line-up. Jota went agonisingly close to sealing a hat-trick when he skied another enticing delivery from the Scot at full stretch.
Since defeat to West Ham, Liverpool have scored 10 goals without reply on home turf against Arsenal, Porto and Southampton. “They are a team on fire. It was unbelievable how well they played,” admitted a weary Ralph Hasenhuttl.
Their total of 39 goals from 13 games is their highest at this stage of a top-flight season. They are also the first top-flight team in English football to score at least two goals in 17 successive matches in all competitions since Sunderland in 1927.
With Klopp able to give midfielders Jordan Henderson and Thiago a breather in the second half, this was the perfect preparation for the derby against Everton on Wednesday.
Liverpool head for Goodison in a buoyant mood with their console king Jota full of confidence and eager to wreak more havoc.
(Photo: Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
