LIVERPOOL, UK – In a heartbreaking discovery just days after the tragic loss of Liverpool star Diogo Jota, his wife has uncovered a personal diary in his Anfield locker — revealing a secret he had kept hidden from his entire family for over a decade.
According to a family spokesperson, Jota’s wife was granted quiet access to his personal items at the club's Melwood training facility on Tuesday. While sorting through shirts, boots and old notes, she found a small, worn black notebook carefully hidden beneath a stack of team gear.
What she read inside, sources say, has left the family devastated — and shattered the image they thought they knew of the smiling, ever-composed footballer.
📖 “He Was Fighting Alone”
The diary, written in both Portuguese and English, contained dozens of entries spanning ten years, beginning in his teenage academy days and continuing through his rise to Premier League stardom. In it, Jota opened up about his private struggles with mental health, self-doubt, and the pressure to maintain his public persona.
“They see me score,” one entry reads.
“But they don’t see the nights I don’t sleep. They don’t see the fear I carry before every match.”
His writings detail years of emotional battles — including feelings of isolation, fear of disappointing fans, and moments where he contemplated walking away from football altogether.
💔 A Wife's Tears, A Family in Shock
Jota’s wife reportedly broke down in tears as she sat alone reading the pages. Later, she shared selected entries with Jota’s parents in a private family meeting.
“They were inconsolable,” said a close friend of the family.
“His mother kept repeating, ‘Why didn’t he tell us?’”
The most heartbreaking detail, according to the source, was a line dated just six weeks before his passing:
“If anything happens to me, I hope you know I was trying… every single day.”
🧠 Mental Health Legacy?
The family is now in discussions with Liverpool FC and mental health charities to explore the possibility of donating excerpts of the diary to campaigns raising awareness about the emotional toll of elite sport.
Jota’s agent confirmed the family’s intentions to “use Diogo’s honesty to help others,” stating:
“He may have felt alone, but through this, he could make sure no young player ever feels that again.”
⚽ A Different Kind of Hero
Though Diogo Jota’s legacy on the pitch is secure — a beloved forward with heart, grit and grace — it’s this unseen part of him that now leaves the deepest impression.
His final words in the diary were reportedly directed not at fame, or football, but at his family:
“You are the reason I smiled on the darkest days. I just didn’t want to be a burden.”
🕯️ A Final Tribute
Liverpool FC is expected to hold a private memorial ceremony later this month, where the diary may be honoured. Club insiders say there are also talks of naming a mental wellness fund after the player.
“He wore the badge with pride,” one former teammate said, “but inside, he was wearing the weight of the world. And now we know.”