August Hartberg

This is a beautiful, beautiful tribute. One that makes you realise that right at the heart of the most glorious memories for Wolves fans in the modern era is Diogo Jota. His arrival marked the start of our uprising. Willing to join a team languishing in the Championship, in a country he didn’t know, in a city he’d probably never heard of... simply because he bought into our dream. His willingness to lift our club and city off the ground will never be forgotten. He put us back on the map. His willingness to take a chance in life is a lesson for us all. And 'willingness' is the word I use to describe him because boundless willingness is what made a humble, down to earth young lad from Portugal a symbol of hope and fearless ambition in Wolverhampton. A symbol now immortalised. In the Championship, he excelled. Not bullied physically in one of the most demanding leagues in the world. In fact, he bossed it: tenacious, physical, dogged, determined. No one could handle him. We knew he was a star from the get-go. Soon, so did the entire Premier League- then the whole of Europe. Has a newly promoted club ever taken the Premier League by storm quite like Diogo Jota's Wolves? Then he scores our first European goal in 40+ years. He scores back-to-back European hat-tricks at Molineux against Beşiktaş and Espanyol. He was a history maker. Redefining who we were. We hadn’t dreamed of heights, or nights, like this just a few years prior, yet here we were, with him, Neves, Moutinho, Raúl Jiménez and co. A true golden era. One that he spearheaded. The sky was the limit. Perhaps the very peak of that period, and Jota’s finest moment in a Wolves shirt, was his FA Cup quarter-final goal against Manchester United in 2019. A storming run from the halfway line and bang. Ecstasy. Jubilation. We were going to Wembley. This was us now. An unstoppable force. A footballing force to be reckoned with. Mixing it with best. Beating the best. And it was all thanks to Diogo. It was a goal that embodied him as a person: spirited, determined, a true force of nature. In fact, he came to embody everything that was 'Wolves' at that time- we saw it all on the pitch, and we were just riding his wave. It was palpable. Ultimately, he created a legacy. A figurehead in a period in which we rose from the doldrums to the elite in rapid fashion. It was dizzying. It was a period we’ll never forget. And one, right now, we can only dream of reaching again. But we have the memories. The priceless, timeless memories. Around Molineux are the words “OLD GOLD”, with the acronym: Our Loving Devotion Guides Our Lifelong Dream. Diogo Jota was a man who didn't take these words lightly. In the years he gave us, he lived and breathed them. Because for a brief moment in all of our lives -a special moment in time- he made that lifelong dream a reality. He was everything you could ever want from anyone that wears the shirt, and we were proud of him beyond words- even after he went to Liverpool and won it all. Why? Because we knew he was destined for greatness. We knew he deserved it all. He shifted our entire universe. He shifted the entire stature of our club in modernity. In many respects, he made us what we are today and what we strive to one day become again. He's engrained in the DNA of Wolves, and he always will be. How many can say that? His achievements as a footballer are truly immeasurable. As a person even more so. Diogo Jota, you were a special, special player. Thank you for the huge part of yourself you gave to us all. We are a club forever in your debt. May you and your brother rest in everlasting peace.