IT was not something that he had planned in advance. His reaction when the ball struck the back of the net was instinctive. But Jota’s celebration after his goal against Rangers at Parkhead back in September has become iconic for Celtic fans.
The Portuguese winger ran over to the fans in the Lisbon Lions Stand, bowed his head and raised his right fist into the air after he had floated a sublime chip over the head of opposition goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin to put his side two ahead.
It was a gesture not dissimilar to the “Black Power” salute that American athlete Tommie Smith famously made when he was standing on the podium at the Olympic Games in Mexico City in 1968 after receiving his gold medal.
The “Jota celebration” image has since been reproduced extensively – it now adorns posters on kids’ bedroom walls, supporters’ t-shirts and banners in the crowd on match days.
The former Benfica forward, who is set to start in the cinch Premiership encounter with Rangers at Ibrox this afternoon, is pleased that he has been able to give so many people so much pleasure.
However, the 23-year-old remains determined to provide Celtic fans with further highlights to treasure in 2023 and beyond. He is convinced there is more, much more, to come from him in the future.
“It was something in the moment,” he said. “Really, I’m serious. It was a really good moment for me. If people can look back on that moment and it brings them a bit of happiness then I’m happy as well. It’s all about the happiness. I’m just grateful for that.
“But my favourite goal is always the last one and the next one, if you know what I mean. I don’t have a favourite as it’s always the last one I scored or the next one. All of them are special in some way of course.
“Maybe some of them are more important than other ones because some can give you a victory in the last moment or whatever.
“The Bernabeu (he scored in the Champions League match against Real Madrid away back in November) was certainly a special one and the one at Celtic Park against Rangers was also special because it’s a big game. But every goal is important.”
Jota quickly endeared himself to Celtic supporters with his pace and trickery out wide after arriving on loan at the start of last season and they were delighted when he agreed to a permanent £6m transfer during the summer.
But the man who helped the Glasgow club to lift the League Cup and Premiership trophies in the 2021/22 campaign is in no danger of getting caried away with either his popularity or success to date. He is convinced there are areas of his game he can improve.
“I work every day to be the best version of myself,” he said. “I know what I do and what I don’t do. So I just work on the things I need to so I can be a better player.
“Every player always has something else to offer. You can never be satisfied with the things you do. I have the motivation and an ambition to be a better player and that’s what I’m going to try to do.”
With Alistair Johnston, Yuki Kobayashi and Tomoki Iwata all being added to Ange Postecoglou’s squad in recent weeks, competition for a place in the Celtic starting line-up has intensified. Jota feels the new arrivals will improve the side further and welcomes having to fight for his berth on a weekly basis.
“When you play for Celtic you need to be ready for competition,” he said. “That’s healthy. This is a big club and it has big expectations so we want the best players. We need to fight for our spots.
“The new signings help everyone because we are a whole. We want to fight for a lot of things so we need everyone at their full capacity so we can win. We are stronger than we were last season. We have had the time to prepare to be better and do what the manager wants us to do.”
Jota has helped Celtic to win 13 domestic fixtures in a row and build up a nine point lead over their city rivals Rangers at the top of the Premiership table. He is determined that there will be no drop in standards at Ibrox this afternoon.
“These are the games you want to play in,” he said. “These are the games you always dreamed of. We’re all very excited about playing it. I guess the numbers and the statistics don’t lie. I know we are in good form, but we just need to keep on doing our stuff.
“Of course, we have respect for every team in the Scottish Premiership. But we don’t stick to their ideas. We stick to our ideas. We will just do our thing. We have our identity and we are going to do the best we can to win the game. It’s all about our identity.”
So does he have something special lined up if he scores against Rangers at Ibrox this afternoon? “No,” he said. “If it comes it will be in the moment. But that’s not what I’m thinking. I’m only thinking of the victory of the team. That’s what I want. That’s what we aim for.”
