Jose Mourinho emotional talking about Diogo Jota in difficult interview - 'Fantastic boy'
Jose Mourinho was left clearly emotional while discussing Diogo Jota's tragic death, having called the Liverpool forward a "really fantastic boy". Jota, 28, was killed in a road traffic accident along with his brother, Andre Silva, 25, in the early hours of Thursday, July 3.
The Portugal international had been travelling by car to Santander, Spain, to catch a ferry back to Merseyside for the start of the Reds' pre-season.
His death sent shockwaves through the footballing world and beyond. The Reds star had just secured his first Premier League winners' medal with Liverpool, won the Nations League trophy with Portugal and wed his childhood sweetheart, Rute, just two weeks earlier.
The 62-year-old was interviewed on Portugal's Channel 11 programme 'Futebol Total' on Tuesday night and became visibly moved when talking about Jota.
Mourinho began by saying: "I greeted Jota twice. Once when we played Tottenham-Wolverhampton, and again at one of the Federation's 'Galas das Quinas'. Although I didn't know him, I know him so well... his agent is the same as mine. Image rights, managers…
"My new collaborator, Antonio Dias, worked with him at Wolverhampton for a number of years. In other words, I know him well without ever having met him.
"Everyone spoke of that boy with love. He was the player, the team player, the boy, the family man, the way he interacted with the organisation."
Mourinho went on to add: "He must have been a really fantastic boy. I keep saying that I hope one day, but only in 40 or 50 years' time, I'll realise why these things happen. It's hard to understand."
The Fenerbahce manager was among the countless sporting figures who paid tribute to Jota after the heartbreaking announcement of his death. He previously told Sky Sports:"When people leave this world, normally we all say, 'Such a nice guy'. Diogo was really a nice guy.
"People in Liverpool know what I'm saying is true. He is a kid who nothing was easy for him, he had to fight to arrive where he arrived. Three kids without a dad, a young woman without her husband, the parents lose both sons... it's crazy.
"It happened with me many, many years ago when I was working at Porto with Mr [Bobby] Robson. One of our boys, a loved boy, died in a car crash.
"Instead of the boys suffering alone it was like the group suffered together and trying to fight for his memory. It was a boy, Rui Filipe, and we were champions, I think, for him.
"In Liverpool they're going to suffer together. The club is a fantastic club. I think they are deciding to take away the shirt number 20. At Anfield, he will always be part of the family and maybe they lose a player but maybe they win even more soul than what they have."
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