Diogo Jota Names 3 Toughest Opponents He’s Faced in His Football Career

Diogo Jota Names 3 Toughest Opponents He’s Faced in His Football Career

Premier League

Liverpool attacker Diogo Jota has listed Antonio Rudiger, William Saliba and Thiago Silva as the three toughest defenders he has ever faced.

Jota is entering his eighth year as a Premier League player, having first spent three seasons with Wolverhampton Wanderers before joining Liverpool in 2020, where he remains at the time of writing. In those years, the Portuguese has matched up against some of the world’s best defenders, either in the English top flight or in Europe.

“Smart and Powerful”

Jota reveals his three toughest match-ups

When asked who the three toughest players he had faced in his career were on ESPN’s Ball Knowledge, Jota said:

“I’ll go (Antonio) Rudiger, (William) Saliba maybe, and Thiago Silva. (What’s tough about them is) Thiago Silva is very smart, Saliba is just a mix of smart and powerful and Rudiger is very aggressive.”

Now playing for Real Madrid, Antonio Rudiger spent five years on the books at Chelsea and it was with the Blues that he established himself as one of the world’s best defenders. The German international is a brilliant defender, tough in the tackle and agile enough to keep pace with most attackers. Rudiger also incorporates a certain aspect of gamesmanship that is no doubt a leading reason for Jota’s decision to name him as a tough opponent to face.

William Saliba is the only defender of the three mentioned that is still playing in the Premier League. The Frenchman is a rock for Arsenal at the back, having come into the team after spending some time away from the club on loan soon after joining in 2019. Saliba is often touted as one of the best Premier League defenders currently, if not the absolute best, and is a player that Jota has faced on numerous occasions.

Finally in Jota’s list was Thiago Silva. Despite being well into his 30s when he joined Chelsea, age was just a number for the Brazilian who helped guide the Blues to a Champions League triumph in 2021. As Jota noted, Silva’s intelligence is a leading reason as to how the centre-back has carved out a 20-year-plus career. Now 40 years old, Silva is still an active player, plying his trade for Fluminense in his native Brazil.