Diogo Jota has once again stirred up controversy with his opinions on two of Liverpool’s greatest players.
The 2024 European Championships are in full swing, with most teams having completed two group stage matches. Portugal, who won the tournament in 2016, are among the favorites to claim the trophy this year.
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In their opening game, Portugal overcame an early scare to defeat Czechia 2-1. They are set to face Turkey in their second match of the Euro 2024 campaign on Saturday.
During the match against Czechia, Jota thought he had scored the winning goal shortly after coming on in the second half, but it was ruled out for offside.
Ahead of the fixture, Jota spoke with GOAL and participated in a game where he had to choose between various football legends.
The first matchup was between Steven Gerrard and Gabriel Jesus. Jota chose Gerrard but controversially snubbed the Liverpool legend in the next round.
When choosing between Gerrard and Mesut Ozil, Jota opted for Ozil after some deliberation. He then stuck with the Arsenal legend for the next four matchups against Joao Palhinha, Rui Costa, Pedri, and Ilkay Gundogan.
However, he hesitated when asked to pick between Ozil and his current Liverpool teammate Trent Alexander-Arnold.
With a groan of frustration, Jota reluctantly picked Ozil and only replaced him in the final round, choosing himself over the German midfielder.
Ozil made 645 appearances in his 18-year career, including 254 in the Premier League with Arsenal. He scored 114 goals and assisted another 218, with most of his contributions coming at the London club.
During his career, Ozil won four FA Cups with Arsenal, a La Liga title with Real Madrid, and the 2014 World Cup with Germany.
Steven Gerrard made 749 appearances during his 18-year career, scoring 191 goals and providing 169 assists. He spent the majority of his career with Liverpool, making 710 appearances for the club. However, this was not enough to convince Jota to pick him over Ozil.
Jota also snubbed his current Liverpool teammate Alexander-Arnold, who made 37 appearances for the club in the 2023/24 season.
