'I owned Jota's favourite coffee shop – I texted his wife day before the crash'
Diogo Jota has been hailed as a 'humble' individual who 'never said no to fans' by the owner of a coffee shop he frequented during his time with Wolves. The 28-year-old lost his life in a tragic car accident on Thursday, alongside his brother, Andre Silva.
A hush descended on the sport when the heart-rending news broke of Liverpool star Jota's fatal car accident, which occurred in Zamora province, Spain, and also took the life of his 26-year-old brother.
Tributes have not stopped pouring in for the late Portugal forward, and one individual who knew Jota and his wife Rute Cardoso, with whom he shared three children, incredibly well is former Wolverhampton coffee shop owner Monica Ferreira.
Ferreira lived in the city for about six years, and there, she pioneered with her shop, Aromas De Portugal. Wolves' Portuguese contingent were big fans of the venue, and Jota often visited with his partner, having joined the club in 2018 before leaving for Anfield two years later.
"I opened my coffee shop and he was one of the first customers," Ferreira exclusively told Mirror Sport. "Myself, I don't know too much about football, so I didn't know him in the first place. My husband, when he saw him, recognised him.
"He was a normal customer. He was very polite, very humble as well, like everyone knows. And he was very nice with everyone. After his first visit to the coffee shop, he was a regular. Every time he could come to the coffee shop, he was coming with his wife.
"We did some dinners with Ruben Neves [Former Wolves and current Al-Hilal midfielder] as well. They were very friendly. Really nice people. Everyone is devastated with the news."
Ferreira shared that Jota was often swamped by fans who adored him as he lit up Molineux, but he was always warm, never denying a request for a picture or autograph.
"Everyone was going to the coffee shop to see if they could meet the players there," she continued. "To have some autographs, some photos, that kind of stuff. Every time Diogo had a fan from Wolves coming to him, he was the first person to say yes to a photograph, to a signature. He never said no.
"Even when he was with his wife, sometimes I closed the coffee shop so they could have some dinner, the Wolves players. But every time I had people at the door knocking because they want some photos. And every time, they were very nice with the fans."
Ferreira detailed exactly where she was when she was informed of Jota's devastating passing, explaining that she had only just offered her congratulations to him and his wife, who were married on June 22, 11 days before his death.
"It was my husband who called me. He said something like, 'Do you know who passed away? I said, 'No.' He said, 'It was Diogo,'" she continued.
"I didn't believe it, to be honest. I couldn't believe it. He was such a nice person with a heart in the right place. It was really, really shocking. And because he was married just a few days before, and his wife was posting some photos. We had some friends in common as well.
"I just had put literally a like on one of the photos from the marriage, from his wedding. And I was just sending a text to her. And when I found out, it was the following day. So we were really, really surprised."
The owner of Jota's favoured shop, who has since sold the venue and moved to Portugal, hopes to attend the star's funeral and believes that the turnout should be worthy of such a beloved figure.
"His wife is devastated," added Ferreira. "She needs a lot of people to be with her. They're going to need a lot of support. His wife, their parents, because they lost two kids. It's really hard.
"I'm not sure what's going to happen [at the funeral], if it's going to be a lot of people or not, but I believe so. He was someone that everyone loved here in Portugal, especially here in the north of the country.
"Because they are from Gondomar, next to Porto. So here people are a little more friendly, more warm with each other. So I believe there's going to be a lot of people there.
"I just want to respect them the most I can. I'm not a friend that talks with them every day. But I met them and they're really nice people. They didn't deserve this kind of things. He was a great human being."
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The Independent
8 minutes ago
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Diogo Jota funeral latest: Wife and family join Liverpool stars to pay tribute to footballer and brother
Distraught family, friends and teammates of Liverpool star Diogo Jota have gathered for his funeral after he died in a car crash in Spain. The father-of-three died alongside his brother, Andre Silva, after their Lamborghini burst into flames following a tyre blowout in the early hours of Thursday morning. The mood was sombre as dozens of stars from the Liverpool and Portugal national teams arrived at the Capela da Ressurreicao, where just 11 days ago Jota had married his wife, Rute Cardoso. Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk and left-back Andy Robertson carried football shirt-shaped wreaths with Jota's Number 20 on the back, followed closely by manager Arne Slot and other players from the club. Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United, Joao Felix of Chelsea, and Ruben Dias and Bernardo Silva of Manchester City, were among the other footballing stars, legends, agents and media figures also pictured. 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