DIOGO JOTA was, by his own admission, “a small guy” from a northern Portuguese town who had a big dream – to play Premier League football.

Jota, who died in a car accident today aged 28, achieved that dream and much, much more.

In the last weeks of his life, Jota enjoyed some incredible highs.

He became a Premier League champion with Liverpool in May, featuring off the bench on the final day against Crystal Palace.

In early June, he secured further silverware with Portugal, as part of their squad which won the Nations League.

On June 22, he married his partner Rute Cardoso, the mother of his three children, describing it on social media hours before his death as “a day we will never forget.”

Jota grew up in Gondomar, and his parents Joaquim and Isabel were still paying for him to play for the local club until the age of 16.

Gondomar’s website describes the club as “a story of passion and dedication” and there can surely be few better embodiments of those qualities than Jota.

Speaking to Sky Sports in 2022, he said: “This hunger has been with me ever since I can remember. In my youth, growing up, I never played for the big teams.

“I had a few team-mates who went to Porto or Benfica. I had trials there but I never stayed. I was one of the better ones, but never the best.

“From the moment that I had that opportunity, I never dropped it again. I think when we are young we always believe. But I probably did not believe that I could reach Liverpool. I just took it day by day.”

He turned professional at Pacos de Ferreira in 2013 and earned what looked like a dream move to Spanish giants Atletico Madrid in 2016.

However, he did not play a single game and moved back to northern Portugal on loan to play for Porto.

He moved on loan for a second time in the summer of 2017 to Wolves, scoring 18 goals in 46 matches as he helped the club achieve promotion to the Premier League.

His efforts earned him a permanent contract, and the chance to fulfil his childhood dream of playing in the English top flight.

He again hit double figures for goals as Wolves not only survived but thrived, finishing seventh in that first season and helping them qualify for the Europa League, where they would reach the quarter-finals in the following campaign, which was disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

His love for football was matched by his love and proficiency for gaming, particularly Fifa – he even won the inaugural ePremier League tournament in 2020.

Jota’s form earned him a move to champions Liverpool in September 2020, where he was set the mission by Jurgen Klopp, the Reds’ head coach at the time, to challenge the established front three of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane.

He hit the ground running, with a goal eight minutes into his debut against Arsenal, and never looked back.

A danger with either foot, he was a key contributor from the start and off the bench as the Reds came close to a quadruple in 2021-22 but ultimately came away with a domestic cup double, having lost out to Manchester City in the league by a point and Real Madrid in the Champions League.

His worth to the club was reflected in the offer of a new contract in the summer of 2022 until 2027.

He told Sky Sports in the summer that the contract extension was signed: “The hard thing is not to reach the top of the mountain but to stay there. That phrase makes a lot of sense, certainly to me.

“It is the hardest bit because you always have people who want to reach there for the first time. You can never let them have more will than you.”

As if to prove his point, Jota kept on climbing and earlier this summer became a Premier League champion.

He told the Liverpool official website last month: “To arrive at this particular season with the title that I’ve been chasing for a lot of years and in the best league in the world – for me where I dreamed to play as a kid – it’s a moment I will cherish forever.

“It is a remarkable achievement for a small guy that came from Gondomar, where I had this dream. To arrive at this moment was outstanding.”

Jota’s younger brother Andre Silva, also a talented professional footballer and forward at Portuguese second division club Penafiel, died alongside him in the accident in Zamora, Spain, this morning. He was 25 years old.

The news of the siblings’ passing sent shockwaves through football, with crowds of fans travelling to pay their respects at Anfield today.

“Heartbroken” former Liverpool manager Klopp led tributes to Jota, and admitted he is struggling to comprehend the forward’s death.

Klopp wrote on Instagram: “This is a moment where I struggle! There must be a bigger purpose! But I can’t see it!

“I’m heartbroken to hear about the passing of Diogo and his brother Andre. Diogo was not only a fantastic player, but also a great friend, a loving and caring husband and father! We will miss you so much!”

Ronaldo said in a post on X alongside a photo of Jota: “It doesn’t make sense. Just now we were together in the National Team, just now you had gotten married.

“To your family, your wife, and your children, I send my condolences and wish them all the strength in the world. I know you will always be with them. Rest in Peace, Diogo and Andre. We will all miss you.”

Jota is survived by his parents Joaquim and Isabel, his wife Rute and their three children.