Jeff Shi has paid a heartfelt tribute to Diogo Jota after the footballer was killed in a car crash in Spain overnight which also claimed the life of his brother Andre Silva.
Many of their teammates have posted heartfelt messages online, including Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister and Portuguese legend Cristiano Ronaldo, and a memorial shrine has already been seen outside Anfield in honour of the 28-year-old.
Jota spent three years at Wolves before his transfer to Merseyside in 2020, and his enduring legacy at Molineux has been captured in a eulogy from Jeff Shi.
Jeff Shi pays tribute to Diogo Jota
The club’s chairman said (via wolves.co.uk): “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.
“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.”
Diogo Jota played a massive part in a glorious era at Wolves
Diogo Jota will forever be synonymous with the most successful era in Wolves’ modern history, having arrived on an initial loan basis in 2017 when they were a Championship club and left three years later after a memorable run to the Europa League quarter-finals.
He netted two famous hat-tricks in that European run (against Besiktas and Espanyol) and also scored an unforgettable treble in the thrilling 4-3 win over Leicester in January 2019.
Later that season, it was his goal which secured a euphoric FA Cup victory against Manchester United and sent Nuno Espirito Santo’s side to Wembley.
After 44 goals in 131 games for Wolves, he earned a £41m transfer to Liverpool, where he went on to win the Premier League just a few months before his tragic death.
The Molineux faithful will remember Jota’s starring performances on the pitch for the Old Gold, and Shi’s tribute illustrates that the forward was also a wonderful person behind the scenes, one who left an indelible mark on those who got to know him during his time at the club.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of Diogo and Andre at this extremely sad time.
