"I still have a picture on my phone" - Liverpool star recalls special incident involving former Red Fernando Torres
Liverpool forward Diogo Jota recently reminisced about playing alongside former Red Fernando Torres during their time at Atletico Madrid.
Jota joined Atletico from Pacos de Ferreira in 2016 while Torres returned to the Spanish club for his second stint. The duo lined up in a 2-0 win over CD Numancia in a friendly in 2016.
Jota, unfortunately, couldn't make a competitive debut for Atletico and spent two years on loan at Porto FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers. He joined the latter permanently before moving to Liverpool in 2020.
At Anfield, the current chant for Jota is in the same tune as it was back in the day for Torres. In a recent episode of "Off The Pitch" on the club's official website, the Portuguese forward revealed how special it felt to hear the chant. He said (via Liverpoolfc.com):
"For me, I have to say that makes it even more special because I liked him a lot. Then I signed for Atletico Madrid, and my first game was a friendly and I played up front with him, so that was nice. I still have the picture on my phone. And now, having the same song, it's unpredictable."
Torres registered 81 goals and 20 assists in 142 appearances during his four-year stay at Liverpool.
Jota, meanwhile, has scored 34 goals and provided 15 assists in 105 appearances for the Reds.
Journalist provides update on Diogo Jota's potential exit from Liverpool
Football Transfers journalist Jacque Talbot has reported that Newcastle United are interested in signing Diogo Jota in the summer. However, he has claimed that the Portuguese forward could cost around £70 million, which could throw the Magpies off.
Speaking on the "LFC Transfer Room" podcast, Talbot said:
“Someone near Newcastle has said ‘Yeah, he’s on there [their transfer list].’ He’s liked by the club. He’s probably a bit out of reach financially. You can see why. He ticks a lot of boxes, his versatility – he can play on the wing, centre-forward, he’s Premier League proven and stuff.”
He added:
“I went to the guy at Liverpool and he was like ‘It’ll be about £70m for that to happen.’ So, we put it out there and that’s not going to happen. I can’t see it.
“But I find it interesting. I think fans will find it interesting, like ‘Oh wow, we like Jota.’ It gives you an indication of how much money they are willing to spend in one position, but it got a bit out of hand.”
Jota, 26, has made just 16 appearances across competitions this season, having had to deal with multiple injury issues. He has provided six assists in that time and is yet to find the back of the net.