Wolves are heartbroken by the news of former Old Gold forward Diogo Jota’s tragic passing at the age of 28.
Jota spent three seasons at Molineux having joined at the start of the Championship-winning 2017/18 season and was an incredibly popular member of the squad and loved by everyone at the club.
During his time at Wolves, Jota made more than 130 appearances and, in his first season, was named top scorer as he helped guide the team to a remarkable promotion into the Premier League.
Matt Wild, Wolves’ director of football operations & administration, who worked closely with Jota when he was at the club, said: “We are all completely shocked. It’s such devastating news, not only for the passing of Diogo, which is just tragic enough, but to lose his brother as well.
“Leaving behind his wife, his three young children and the loss of his brother, it’s so difficult to comprehend. It’s just so sudden, it’s such a shock, and I think it will take a lot of us some time to process and come to terms with it.
“The impact he had at Wolves was huge. He was only here for three years, but what an important three years. To be part of that Championship winning squad that got us to the Premier League, then get us into Europe the following year, to being part of the European journey that we had.
“There are so many great times that all the people here – the fans, the players and the staff – have all experienced together and he was very much part of that. We’ll all be looking back on those memories today, the part he played in it and our time with him.
“Diogo embodied our values at the club. He was so humble, so kind, so professional, but yet determined and hungry. Everyone’s witnessed his progression throughout his career, from such a young age, to go to Liverpool at the age of 23 and go on to great success there, he’s won lots of trophies and it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.”
Born in Porto, Jota began his career with Pacos de Ferreira in the Primeira Liga, and became a regular at a young age, which included a goal and assist on his debut in a cup tie as a 17-year-old, before going on to score 15 times in 45 appearances.
During the summer of 2016, Jota’s form saw him snapped up by Spanish giants Atletico Madid, but in August that year, he returned to Portugal to join future Wolves boss Nuno at Porto on a season-long loan, where he continued his rise as one of most gifted young forwards in the country.
Jota shocked the footballing world when he swapped the Champions League for the Championship the following summer to sign for Wolves, initially on loan, but in the next three years, he would go on to become one of the modern heroes of Molineux.
Adored by fans, staff and players at Wolves, Jota’s incredible skills on the pitch, as well as his down-to-earth personality off it, quickly made him a favourite.
His first season in Old Gold saw the forward lead the line on several occasions and culminated in Jota scoring a career-best 17 league goals to help secure Premier League football back at Molineux after a six-year absence.
Chairman Jeff Shi said: “Diogo was a top player and, for me, one of the top three players in the whole 10 years that Fosun and I have been here.
“But he was also a nice boy who was very warm, very nice and always understanding, but he was also demanding. As a top player, you sometimes have to demand your teammates to do well, and although he was never a player on the pitch to shout, you could always see what he wanted from you.
“He was a very positive and optimistic guy and he could even give the chairman confidence, but he was a guy with very clear ideas. He was smart, intelligent and also very decisive in his actions. I feel he had the potential to become a very good CEO or entrepreneur in the future because he was very clear with what he wanted to do.
“Diogo will be sorely missed by everyone here at Wolves and our thoughts go out to his family and friends.”
In his two years as a permanent member of the pack, Jota played a crucial role in achieving successive seventh placed league finishes, as well as excelling in the Europa League. He would score nine goals as Wolves reached the quarter-finals of European competition for the first time since 1972.
His back-to-back hat-tricks against Besiktas and Espanyol at Molineux saw the forward became the first Wolves player to ever achieve that remarkable feat, while his 13-minute trio against the Turkish side was the club’s quickest ever European hat-trick – a record unlikely to ever be beaten.
Jota was a regular in his national team, earning the first of his 49 international caps while a Wolves player. One of four members of Nuno Espirito Santo’s team at the time who won the 2019 UEFA Nations League title together, Jota would go on to make his senior debut for Portugal in a 6-0 win over Lithuania later that year.
In September 2020, Jota would depart Wolves and join fellow Premier League outfit Liverpool, with whom he has earned major silverware and individual accolades.
During his time at Anfield, Jota has claimed all three major domestic titles, including the 2021/22 Carabao Cup and FA Cup, before playing a role in the Red's Premier League title success last season.
Only a few weeks ago, Jota was part of the victorious Portugal side in the 2025 Nations League, as his country become the first to win the competition twice.
Away from football Jota was an avid gamer, operated his own esports team – known as Luna Galaxy – and regularly streamed on Twitch. During the Covid-19 lockdown, he represented Wolves in an invitational series of FIFA matches run by the Premier League and claimed the title.
The recent Nations League championship would be Jota’s final trophy after he tragically passed away, alongside his brother Andre, on the morning of Thursday 3rd July in Spain, just 10 days after marrying his long-time partner Rute.
Wild added: “When I think about Diogo, the first thing I remember is the day he signed and he was so excited to be part of the Fosun and Wolves project, which was in its infancy. He joined at the start of the 2017/18 season and he really was a revelation.
“On the field, he was so tenacious, so determined – he was an absolute warrior, and he gave us so many great memories. The moments that we had in Europe were all cherished and he was a big part of that.
“He was part of one of the most successful periods of our club’s history and he was so kind-hearted off the pitch as well. I remember when he left for Liverpool, he personally came round to every person and every department at Compton to thank them and say goodbye, he had pictures taken with everyone and that’s what he was like.
“He left this club as a star, and he will always be a star in our eyes.”
The memories he created at Molineux will never be forgotten and the thoughts of everyone at Wolves are with Rute, their children and Diogo and Andre’s loved ones at this devastating time.
Floral tributes can be left by the Billy Wright statue outside Molineux for supporters to pay their respects to a much-loved footballer, husband and father.
