Jota credits his family for their massive support and contribution to helping him through the difficult 18 months on the sidelines as he worked hard to get himself fit…
Jota of Celtic reacts at full time. Celtic v Hearts, Scottish Premiership, Celtic Park, 18 October 2026. Photo Mark Runnacles IMAGO Shutterstock
Now the Celtic winger has returned fully prepared to resume his playing career which has essentially stalled over the few years since leaving Celtic for Saudi Arabia after the 2023 Scottish Cup Final win over Inverness Caley Thistle.
Jota took the decision to travel back home to Lisbon for specialist treatment throughout the recovery process.Yet while the medical professionals were central to his return, Celtic’s Superstar from Portugal credits the help he received from his family as being hugely significant.
Jota of Celtic and Jordi Altena of Hearts Celtic v Hearts, Scottish Premiership, Celtic Park, 18 October 2026 Photo Mark Runnacles Shutterstock
“Family, I think that’s the foundation of everything,” Jota explained at his post match media conference on Sunday afternoon after Celtic’s emphatic 7-1 win over Hearts at Celtic Park.
Jota came off the bench to replace Callum Osmand at the interval and certainly enjoyed his return to Paradise, as did the 60,000 Celtic fans who were delighted to see him return to the team.
“And having them day by day next to me and knowing that no matter what, they will always be there – like when I go home – I think it’s the best feeling someone can have.
“I had mine every day waiting for me to come home. And once I know they’re safe, I know that, OK, this is already a very good thing because in the end, everyone wants to have a healthy family and someone that you can build a life on.
“I’m no different from anyone, even though I’m a footballer obviously, but that was always my preoccupation. Like, ‘Okay, I’m not in the best position at the moment because I’m injured, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop living my life’.
Jota of Celtic, Celtic v Hearts, Scottish Premiership, F Celtic Park, 18 October 2026. Mark Runnacles IMAGO Shutterstock
“There are more things in life from football. And I had to rewire again to get that.”
“I think I’ve met some demons and I’ve had some good talks with them,” Jota admitted. “I think we developed a good relationship afterwards and we are all on the same table nowadays and we can laugh about everything that happened.
“In the end, I think if you don’t grow from a situation like this, it’s because you didn’t learn anything.”
Jota of Celtic celebrates after the Scottish Premiership match between Motherwell and Celtic at Fir Park on October 11, 2026. (Photo by Zak Mauger/Getty Images)
From here on, Jota merits a period of injury free stability, so that he can get back to his best and contribute to the team as well as writing some happier stories for his own playing career, with hopefully the best still to come from Celtic’s Superstar from Portugal.
Jota is sure that he can achieve that. “Definitely. Otherwise I wouldn’t be helpful for Celtic if I was happy with the things I did before.
“So yeah, I’m very positive that good things will come. I’m accepting the present and how things are going and I’m trusting the process. I’m not thinking too much forward. I just want to do the day-to-day thing and I think that’s the way to go.
“There’s no future for me now. It’s just this game today and I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. Just every minute on the pitch? Yeah, just enjoy fully because it’s not granted that we’ll be here tomorrow or next week.
“So I cannot predict too much stuff. When I predicted, everything was the [other] way around.”
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Celtic in the Fifties by Matt Corr, in two volumes, both published on 4th September 2026 by Celtic Star Books. Click on image to order.
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