Jota began his professional career with Pacos de Ferreira, a mid-tier club in Portugal, debuting at age 18. He netted 15 goals in 45 appearances, catching the attention of big clubs.
In the summer of 2016, Atletico Madrid swooped in and signed him on a five-year deal through Gestifute, the agency run by super football agent Jorge Mendes. However, Jota never played a competitive match for Atletico, appearing only in three friendlies before being loaned to Porto for the season. He left an impression there, scoring 9 goals in 37 games, including a memorable strike against Leicester City in the Champions League.
The real breakthrough came in 2017 when Jota was loaned to Wolverhampton Wanderers, a club that were still in the English Championship at that time. His 18 goals in the 2017–2018 season were crucial in helping Wolves secure promotion to the Premier League. The club then paid $15 million to make his move from Atletico permanent.
Jota thrived in the Prem. In January 2019, he netted a hat-trick in a thrilling 4-3 win over Leicester, becoming only the second Portuguese player, after Cristiano Ronaldo, to score a Premier League hat-trick.
His top form caught the eye of Liverpool, who signed him in 2020 for $57 million. Jota quickly became a fan favorite at Anfield Stadium thanks to his ball control and sharp finishing. He went on to score 65 goals in 182 appearances, win four trophies and feature in five finals.
Jota’s standout campaign came in the 2021–2022 season when he scored 21 goals in 55 matches. He netted in Liverpool’s famous 5-0 victory over Manchester United and scored twice in the League Cup semifinal win over Arsenal. In the League Cup and FA Cup finals, both against Chelsea, Jota converted his penalties in two dramatic shootouts, helping the Reds lift both trophies.
Despite battling injuries in the 2024–2025 season, Jota still managed to score nine goals. One crucial goal came in the Merseyside derby, where he helped Liverpool defeat Everton and maintain a 12-point lead over Arsenal. In May 2025, he lifted the Premier League trophy for the first time in his career.
Jota celebrated the title at Anfield alongside his longtime partner Rute Cardoso and their three children.
On June 8, Jota helped Portugal defeat Spain 5-3 in a penalty shootout to win the UEFA Nations League, his second international title after the 2019 edition. Since his national team debut in March 2019, he had earned 49 caps and scored 14 goals.
Just weeks later, on June 22, Jota married Cardoso, his partner of 13 years. She shared a photo from the wedding with the caption: “Yes to forever. My dream came true,” and Jota replied: “I’m the lucky one.”
Tragically, just 11 days after the wedding, Jota and his younger brother Andre died in a car crash in Zamora, Spain. Reports indicate the car busted a tire while overtaking another vehicle at high speed, veered off the road and burst into flames.
Jota’s untimely death is an unfortunate end to a career that promised even more greatness and has left a deep void in world football, but his legacy will live on forever.
