Benfica legend Diamantino has praised Celtic for turning Jota into a £25 million player and earning his old club millions.
The Portuguese winger completed his stunning move to Saudi Arabia this week and will earn a staggering salary in the mega-rich country.
Lisbon giants Benfica will reportedly earn around £7.5 million because of a sell-on clause.
And 11-times Portuguese League winner Diamantino, who later went on to manage the club, reckons the Scottish champions should be thanked by Benfica for giving them an unexpected financial windfall.
He said: "It's an incredible deal and the people at Benfica must be absolutely delighted.
"They have just received a huge amount of money without moving a muscle! Millions of Euros have just landed in their coffers and they did nothing to get it!
"The move to Celtic did Jota a lot of good.
"If I was at Benfica now, I'd be getting on the first plane to Glasgow to thank Celtic sincerely.
"Celtic have to be praised for what they did for this player. He went from having no future at Benfica to being one of the best players in the Scottish league for two years.
"Benfica's business model for trading players is very impressive and very successful."
Meanwhile, Brendan Rodgers has described Kyogo Furuhashi’s new four-year deal at Celtic as “brilliant news” for the treble winners.
The Japan striker, 28, has scored 54 goals in 83 games since signing from Vissel Kobe in 2021 and is now tied to the Parkhead club until 2027.
Rodgers, beginning his second stint as Hoops boss, told the club’s official website: “It is brilliant news for the club. Kyogo is an important player for us so I am delighted he has signed a new contract.
“Kyogo has thrived since he arrived in Scottish football and has shown his outstanding qualities.
“In two seasons, he has secured five domestic honours, scored over 50 club goals and become a treble winner. This takes a lot of hard work, dedication and sacrifice both on and off the pitch.
“He is an exciting player who is hungry to bring more success to our club. He has a great mentality and is an unbelievable talent.
“I am looking forward to working with him and helping him and the wider team develop to help drive the club forward.”
