JOTA’S much-heralded £25m move to Saudi Arabia may not have worked out on the football front due in no small part to the Pro League’s strict foreign player quota rules.
It is safe to say, though, that spending 13 months on Al-Ittihad’s books over in the oil-rich gulf state was healthy for the Portuguese winger’s bank balance.
The 25-year-old, who completed an emotional €8m transfer from French outfit Rennes back to Celtic yesterday, earned a reported £190,000 a week during his time in the Middle East. Nice work if you can get it.
Jota’s highly lucrative Saudi sojurn, however, does beg a question. Has pocketing such eye-watering sums at such a young age diluted his ambition?
The Scottish champions’ supporters were overjoyed when they learned their former favourite was set to sign for them again and a smattering of them braved the wind and the rain to welcome him back to Parkhead last night.
But will setting himself up for life financially take an edge off his performances going forward? Will he still be prepared to run for his team from kick-off to the final whistle? Will he be content to ride rash tackles from opposition defenders like he did before?
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The former Benfica kid laughed when it was put to him that he may lack the hunger that he displayed whenever he took to the field during his first spell in this country because of his new-found wealth.
“Some people might be like that,” he said. “They might get too comfortable. Luckily, I’m one of the last romantics of the game. I enjoy the game so much and I’m so obsessed with it. I will try to do things that people will be happy about, will love and admire.
“I'm not against it (making money). But I think in life you always need an ambition and something to go after. I feel that for me right now is to get success in football terms and to be the best version of myself inside the pitch.
“I can't speak on behalf of other players because everyone is different, but football comes before money for me, always comes first. People might not believe this, but I have to say what's true to myself. I love the game, I breathe the game and I live for the game.
“My aim coming here is to stay, to enjoy myself, to be happy on the pitch, to give happiness and joy to the fans and to just have a good time by conquering titles and achieving important things.”
“But for me it was really painful because I wanted to have success, I wanted to play. Many things happened that didn't allow it and it's the way it is. I needed to deal with it and go on. “Obviously, it's completely different when you play two, three times per week and then you stop playing. But that was due to regulations, bureaucratic stuff you know.
“I had to deal with it. It's difficult when you're training and you cannot play because you are not on the list for the championship. That was a tough time for me. And other stuff happened in between. “But I couldn't stop because I knew that the worst thing to do was to give up. So I always kept on fighting to find the solution. Life works in mysterious ways. Today the solution is Celtic. That's the beautiful thing in life.
“I would say that my last 18 months were much more mental than anything else. I've discovered myself in a way that I didn't know. We need to be able to put ourselves in circumstances where we are not comfortable. My choice going there put me in this situation.
“But I'd rather take these risks instead of staying in the same place where you are comfortable. So many people in the world don't take risks because they feel uncertain about what's awaiting them on the other side.”
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Jota won five trophies during the two seasons that he spent at Celtic before joining Al-Ittihad and endeared himself to fans forever with important goals and magical moments in domestic matches and European fixtures. He is looking forward to building on his legacy after signing a five-and-a-half year contract.
He counted N’Golo Kante and Karim Benzema among his team mates at Al-Ittihad and fulfilled a lifelong ambition when he squared up to his boyhood hero and compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo in a match against Al Nassr. He is convinced that he has learned invaluable lessons from all of them.
“I got to see what it is to play with Ballon d'Or winners, with World Cup winners, with Champions League winners,” said Jota. “That's the stuff you dream about isn't it? I was no different. I enjoyed getting to know the details, the way they would move, how they would do things.
“Even against other teams where I was playing against very good players, I always felt, ‘Wow! The level is quite good!’ So, yeah, I tried to learn as much as possible.
“I played against Ronaldo, which was a dream of mine. He was my biggest idol when I was younger. It was a dream of mine to have stepped on the pitch with him. I think that's something that I will always remember. That was a proud moment.
“We spoke before the game, just casual stuff, nothing major. We had to be concentrated for the game as well. But it was a very good experience for me. I got to meet very good players from other teams personally as well.
“I just drank from their wisdom and the way they saw football. They've been in the top of football, they have conquered everything. When you have the chance of getting to know these people, you can see another perspective.”
