Diogo Jota helped Portugal qualify for the 2022 World Cup - but missing the tournament was the most difficult moment of his career.
The Liverpool forward looked all set to play a prominent role for his country in Qatar, until he was stretchered off during a match against Manchester City in October, having picked up a serious calf injury.
“I ended the previous season in the national team with an injury in the final game,” Jota exclusively told FourFourTwo. “So, I started pre-season injured. I came back but got injured again during pre-season.
"I came back again and started playing a few games, then suffered a big injury in October, probably because my pre-season wasn’t what it normally is. It was the biggest injury of my career.
“When you feel something like I did, and you go off on a stretcher, it doesn’t look good. You still have hope that it’s not serious. Because we were so close to the World Cup, I was just hoping that I could recover in time.
"When I was told that I wouldn’t, and that I couldn’t go to the World Cup, that was the hardest knock I’ve had in my career. Just sadness.
“I had the opportunity to play my first World Cup and I knew I was playing an important role for the national team – I’d played a big role in qualification, so I felt like I deserved to be there. But I couldn’t be.”
His colleagues at Liverpool did their best to console him, as did manager Jurgen Klopp. “The next day, he gave me a proper hug,” Jota said. “He knew that, at that moment, there wasn’t much to say – he was just trying to comfort me. And during my rehabilitation, he’d ask how things were going every time he saw me.
"You notice that he cares. That’s all you can ask for: that the person in charge of the team cares about all of the players, and demonstrates that he’s counting on you whenever you’re back.”
Jota did travel to Qatar to watch one World Cup match. “Liverpool had a training camp in Dubai in December, so it wasn’t far, and I went to Portugal’s last group game against South Korea,” he explained.
“We lost, so I said, ‘I’m not coming back!’ I probably wasn’t a lucky charm. I was there supporting the team, but I also wanted to be playing. Then, seeing the team struggling to score against Morocco in the quarter-final, you know you could make an impact, but you can’t.”
Read the full interview with Jota in the new issue of FourFourTwo, in shops now
Jota wears the new adidas X Speedportal boots, part of the Heatspawn Pack, which also includes the Predator and Copa boots, available to buy now HERE
More Liverpool stories
Watch Adam Clery's video explainer on Why Fabio Carvalho Didn't Work At Liverpool
Liverpool stars Mo Salah and Andy Robertson's incredible reaction to Jordan Henderson's body transformation
The best Liverpool FC books to read this summer, by This Is Anfield's Matt Ladson
'My surname was a handicap, no doubt. I’d get told, ‘If you wanted to avoid all of the attention, just don’t play football’. But I wanted to because I loved it!': Diego Maradona Jr. achieved great success despite his name proving a hinderance in the sport
‘The pure simplicity of the way Slot has managed the squad is probably the biggest thing I could say about him. It’s not broken, so let’s get on with it’: Liverpool legend full of admiration for Jurgen Klopp's successor at Anfield
