Diogo Jota strikes long-term future deal

Liverpool have been working with Diogo Jota in attack for several years now.

And even though Darwin Nunez is competing with him for game time, most still feel that the Portuguese international is Liverpool's best striker.

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His injuries have been more prevalent this season than in others, and there is a growing feeling that the club may want to move him on in the summer - as his contract runs out in 2027 - although Nunez is also at risk of being axed.

But while his short-term future at Liverpool remains uncertain, Jota has been making moves off the pitch to keep himself involved in football for the long term, by investing in a new up-and-coming project.

Jota joins the Baller League

For a number of years now, Jota has been working on projects away from Liverpool that will help set himself up for life beyond his playing career.

At first, fans noticed that he spent most of his time off the pitch playing console games such as Fifa and now EA FC.

Be it when he had some downtime in his schedule, or while he was injured, the striker has become intrinsically linked with gaming alongside playing for the Reds.

He subsequently created his own Esports team called Luna Galaxy in 2020, which was originally called Diogo Jota Esports.

The company has many different teams that compete in games such as EA FC and Rocket League.

However, as of a few days ago, Jota has decided to add a new project to his portfolio by investing in Baller League, which is headed up by members of the popular influencer group the Sidemen.

This concept is very different to his Esports endeavour, as the Baller League has all to do with six-a-side football, involving popular influencers and ex-professionals.

Now rest assured, Jota is not going to be playing in the format, but he is now an official financial backer.

He joined Diogo Dalot, Mason Mount and Jose Fonte to invest a total of £21m into the project as part of a funding round that was led by Apex, a private equity firm, while EQT Ventures led the process.

The launch of the project in the UK is expected to be in March 2025, following two successful trial years in Germany.

Speaking to Insider Sport about the investment, Jota said: “Baller League has a lot of crossover with the world of Esports and streaming, concepts I understand well. The Twitch numbers achieved in Germany in their first season are a strong indicator of the success Baller can have in the UK and US markets.”

So even though Liverpool might have a conversation about Jota's future at the club going forward, the Portuguese international is already setting himself up for the long term by taking advantage of the opportunities laid before him, away from the pitch.

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