RIP Diogo Jota: You'll never walk alone

There'd clearly been some sort of horrible mix-up. Jota had only just got married, after all. He was young, healthy and happy. There was just no way this could be true.

But denial was soon forced to make way for devastation. The heart-breaking news of Jota's passing was confirmed by his club at 10:23am. A wife had lost her husband, three children had lost their father, and Liverpool had lost one of its most beloved adopted sons.

Surprise signing

Jota had been an unexpected Anfield icon. The vast majority of Liverpool supporters will openly admit that they weren't really sure what to make of the club's decision to sign the Portugal forward from Wolves late in the 2020 summer transfer window. Jota had looked a good player at Molineux, but the fee was an eyebrow-raising £41 million ($56m).

The fans feared they'd overpaid, but Jota had been on Klopp's wishlist "for two or three years". The German was convinced that the Portuguese was perfect for his style of play - and he was right. In fact, as Klopp later admitted, Jota turned out to be even better than even he expected.

Immediate Kop idol

With his versatility and incredible work-rate, Jota slotted seamlessly into Liverpool's starting line-up. This was an intelligent, industrious and multi-functional forward who would excel no matter where he was deployed in attack.

Consequently, Jota looked right at home on Merseyside from the get-go, becoming the first Red since Robbie 'God' Fowler to score seven times in his first 10 appearances for the club - a sensational start that featured goals in four consecutive appearances at Anfield.

By the end of November 2020, it was clear that the Kop already had a new idol. 'Jota the slotter' wasn't just a pressing machine; he was a wonderfully composed finisher too.

'Mentality mixed with quality'

But then came the first of the fitness issues that plagued Jota during his time at Liverpool, with the attacker suffering a knee injury in December 2020 that kept him out of action for three months.

A fully-fit Jota showed exactly what he was capable of during the 2021-22 campaign, however, as he scored 21 goals in 55 appearances as Liverpool won the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup before finishing as runners-up in both the Premier League and the Champions League.

"We were completely convinced when he arrived at the club he would help us massively," Klopp told reporters in January 2022. "Since he has been here, he has made another step, he has turned into a really world-class striker. Mentality mixed with quality is the reason we signed him."