Diogo Jota transformed into a superstar at Wolves, and it seems like he always backed himself to reach the top.
Jota initially had doubts about joining Wolves in 2017, but those worries soon faded as the Portuguese lit up Molineux.
Regarded as one of Fosun’s best-ever signings, the forward scored 44 goals across 131 appearances for the club, helping transform Wolves into European contenders.
Jota had actually struggled at Atletico Madrid prior to his Wolves move, but the attacker didn’t let that affect his confidence upon joining the Molineux outfit.
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Diogo Jota backed himself to succeed at Wolves
Arriving in the West Midlands as a fresh-faced 20-year-old, no one could have begrudged Jota for being nervous when taking his first steps into English football.
That, however, wouldn’t be the case, with a former teammate of Jota, Ryan Bennett, revealing that the Portuguese was extremely confident upon arriving at Wolves.
“Jota was very good because of the positions he picks up,” Bennett told the Birmingham Mail in 2022.
“I never got to see Pedro in the form that he got in but I remember there was one thing with him. When he first came in he did an interview and he said ‘I want to be the best player in the world’.
| Wolves stats | Apps | Goals | Assists |
| Diogo Jota | 131 | 44 | 19 |
“At the time I was like, ‘fair play, this is a young kid…’ but a month later he was training and we used to sit and have dinner and there were people looking at each other like, ‘He might not be wrong this fella!’ He was working incredibly hard. Physically he changed and he was flying. I looked at him and thought he was a serious player.
“I know he’s had a serious injury and come back and got another one. He could still be a superstar.
“Jota, Ruben (Neves) and Joao (Moutinho) stand out. I’ve never seen another player in the world that can do what Adama (Traore) does. As an overall I would say Diogo (is the best player I played with).”
Could Jota re-join Wolves from Liverpool?
After three successful years at Molineux, Jota would eventually leave the club and sign for Premier League giants Liverpool, in a move that turned out to be one of Wolves’ most expensive departures of all time at £45 million.
The former Wolves man has since gone on to impress in a Reds shirt, getting his hands on an array of trophies at Anfield.
Despite this success, though, it seems like the attacker’s time could be up at Liverpool, with Arne Slot seemingly not fancying the Portuguese as a forward option.
With that being said, Wolves have been linked with Jota in what would be a sensational return for the 28-year-old.
Jota’s valuation of £45 million makes any move unlikely, but Wolves fans would surely be open to a Portuguese homecoming.