Jota checked into Celtic and revealed there’s nowhere else he wanted to be. The Portuguese star sealed his £6.5 million move with an admission that feels at home and his best is yet to come.
But Jota does admit it’s emotional to cut ties with Benfica and likened his departure from the Lisbon giants to Kieran Tierney leaving Celtic for Arsenal. The 23-year-old signed a five-year deal to join on a permanent basis after last season’s explosive loan campaign
Jota is thrilled and said: “The club speaks for itself. The experience I had last year was amazing so it was an easy choice to make. There wasn’t a single moment where I thought: I wanted to stay. It was all in one. It was just natural during the weeks and months. I had some experiences in the past that were not so good. When I first came on loan, it was just another experience.
“You enter into a club without knowing what is going to happen in the future. It can be the worst experience of your life or the best.
“So I never thought I’d definitely stay here because you cannot guess what’s in the future.
“But, throughout the season, I just thought: Okay, I’m feeling good, I feel at home, this is the right place to develop. So let’s do it.
“I can promise that I will fight every day to honour the colours of the club.
“Every day I will fight to be a better person and a better player because I want to achieve a lot of things.”
Jota bagged 13 goals last season and a host of assists to soar into the hearts of the fans.
But he’s clear he’s nowhere near the finished article and wants to do more as he continued: “I don’t want to stop here.
“I think there are plenty more things to do to develop. I know a place that I can achieve, but I am still far away from that. So I just have to keep on being grounded, be humble and work hard.
“It was a really good last season, but I am not happy just with the one. I want more and more and more.
“Imagine for a footballer player to not develop? That’s not the right mentality.
“You must go to the training pitch every day like: Today I will be better than yesterday.
“This is my mentality. I know I can get better in many aspects of the game. I’m excited to see what I can achieve. I can’t wait to develop more and for the team to conquer more things.”
Jota’s full-time arrival at Celtic does, of course, mean an official connection with Benfica has ended.
Having been there since primary school, it tugs at the heart as he said: “To be honest, it’s quite a nostalgic moment for me because I was there for 15 years.
“It’s like a kid leaving home, leaving his parents. I guess it’s like Tierney going to Arsenal. This is the same for me. So I’m nostalgic about it because I really love Benfica.
“My story with them will keep on. I’m not going to say goodbye because I know that one day I will go back.
“But I’m more than happy to join Celtic. This is what I really wanted.”
As well as defending the title, Jota will also get a chance to challenge himself against the elite when Celtic go into the group stages of the Champions League.
He said: “The Champions League is probably the best competition in the world, so it’s always a trigger for players. I’m no exception.
“To live this moment in this club, everyone keep saying: Jota: It’s something special so you’d better stay at Celtic.”
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