JOTA has thanked the Celtic fans for the rousing ovation they gave him as he returned from injury against Livingston, and has vowed to do everything he can on the pitch to repay them for their support.
The winger came off the bench in the 80th minute to huge applause from the large travelling support at the Tony Macaroni Arena, and promptly won a penalty that Giorgos Giakoumakis missed, before rounding off the 3-0 win by tapping home from David Turnbull’s cross.
He says that there is more to come from him now that he is back to full fitness, and he will be doing his utmost to give the Celtic fans more to cheer about in the coming weeks and months.
“I think this shows what Celtic is all about, and the support we have every time we play, either at Celtic Park or away,” Jota said.
“After this support, we just have to show ourselves on the pitch and fight for them.
“It was a very important moment for me coming back from injury, but most of all it was about the victory for the team.
“This was a game that we knew was going to be very difficult like every season, every time we come here, but I was very happy to get the win.”
The goal and the win rounded off a positive week for Jota, as he was named in Portugal’s provisional 55-man long list for the World Cup in Qatar.
“That’s a very good moment for me and for my family,” he said.
“I’m just grateful for everything that is going on. Two years ago I was not even playing for any club. I was at a club of course, but I wasn’t having many minutes.
“Two years later, to be on this 55-man list is something very good for me, but this is just another step.
“I just need to keep working and enjoying it on the pitch, and everything will come naturally.
“You cannot just be obsessed with those kinds of things. I wake up every day with the mentality of being a better person and a better football player, and building a strong base to be better.”
Meanwhile, Jota says that he will be ready if called upon by Ange Postecoglou to start against Real Madrid on Wednesday night.
“That’s not a question for me, that’s a question for the gaffer,” he said.
“If he is ready to put me in, I am ready to fight for him, for the team and for the club. So that is up to him.”
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