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Fans are only just realising Liverpool forward Diogo Jota is using a different name to his real one

Home> Football> Football News> Liverpool

Published 19:08 28 Dec 2023 GMT

Fans are only just realising Liverpool forward Diogo Jota is using a different name to his real one

Diogo Jota used a different name on the back of his shirt during his spell at Wolves.

Rory O'Callaghan

Rory O'Callaghan

It may surprise some fans to learn that Diogo Jota is not the real name of their beloved Portuguese striker.

Jota, who has scored 50 goals in 131 games for Liverpool since joining from fellow Premier League side Wolves in 2020, was known by an entirely different name when he was younger.

The 27-year-old, who was born in the Massarelos area of Porto in 1995, was named Diogo Jose Teixeira da Silva by his parents.

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But when he began his football career, he would request the name 'Diogo J' on the back of his shirt to differentiate himself from other players in the squad with the name Silva, which is the most common surname in Portugal.

In Portuguese, the letter 'J' is pronounced the same way as Jota's name is said.

It is pronounced with a hard 'J', unlike in Spain where the name Jota would be pronounced with an 'H' sound - as is the case with former Brentford, Birmingham and Aston Villa midfielder Jota.

As Diogo Jota would wear the letter 'J' on the back of his shirt, it eventually became a nickname with his teammates.

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"After all, that's what they read every time the kid started toward the area and his back was the only thing they could see," Portuguese outlet Expresso explained in 2016.

When Jota first joined Wolves on loan from Atletico Madrid in 2017, he wore the name 'Silva' on the back of his shirt instead of his customary 'Diogo J'.

The Molineux club revealed that this was because EFL rules stated that all players must have their real surname on their shirt.



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Once Wolves were promoted to the Premier League for the 2018-19, Jota was once again allowed to use his preferred nickname, which he continues to use to this day at Anfield.

Jota netted for Jurgen Klopp's side in their 2-0 win over Burnley on Tuesday.

Featured Image Credit: Getty Images

Topics: Liverpool, Diogo Jota, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Premier League

Rory O'Callaghan
Rory O'Callaghan

Rory O'Callaghan is Editorial Lead at SPORTbible. He has previously worked for Sky Sports News, MailOnline and Reach covering football, cricket, boxing and MMA. Tested daily as a Liverpool fan in a Manchester office.

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@rory_ocallaghan

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