With the Premier League the most attractive league in world football, it is no wonder players are desperate to move to England in search of securing a life-changing payday.
However a former Aston Villa flop has enjoyed far greater success since calling it a day on his professional career.
Jota endured a dismal spell at Villa Park – where he only made just the ten appearances between 2019 and 2020.
The former Brentford and Birmingham City midfielder retired from the game in 2022, but his bizarre career change is absolutely mind blowing.
The 32-year-old lost the motivation to play football and reveals he had a big project on mind after hanging up his boots.
Former Aston Villa flop Jota has enjoyed far greater success since calling it a day on the pitch
The former professional midfielder is now on the verge of becoming a billionaire following a bizarre career change
Jota is currently the leading man of agricultural technology company Groinn, a company which comprises of 80 workers.
His company is in the process of entering a partnership with the Spanish government to provide digital agricultural aid – and is on course to be worth well over £600million ($760m) in 2025.
Speaking to The Athletic, he said: ‘Football should make personalities stand out,’ he says. ‘I was doing what the manager said, but I didn’t enjoy it. It was a difficult decision because I was saying no to so much money, but I had loved football so much it was never about the money. I lost my motivation, but I had another big project on my mind.’
‘When I was playing, I knew about Groinn, but I didn’t have the time. It was a start-up under a different name that required funding (it was then called Ramalloc Innovation). I like taking risks and there were nervous times during the process. Once you develop the technology and it works, you will have spent millions but will get a lot more back. But if it doesn’t work, you lose all your money.’
After investing millions into the company two years ago, Jota now has plans to open another branch just outside of his homeland.
Groinn is a plantation system that monitors the status of crops and large fields. It operates throughs sensors and can be accessed on any device – instructing when to water the plants, the nutrients they need and how to prevent fires.
‘We have had ups and downs because we are investing so much money into something new that you don’t know will work,’ he added.
‘I feel extremely proud because I know a lot of people were saying to me, ‘This is crazy’. Now, these people are saying, ‘Oh my word, this is making huge money’.
Jota – who also had a brief spell at Birmingham City – is currently the leading man of agricultural technology company Groinn
‘The value of the company is now worth 10 times more than the money I invested. I am already taking offers, but I know they won’t even be one per cent of its value in three years. We are in negotiations with a lot of governments around the world because they want the technology and we are industry leaders. We are talking to big companies in America and we are moving quicker than we thought.’
Prior to investing into the company, similar machines would cost around £25,700 to manufacture and purchase.
However, Groinn can be made for as little as £175 – all stored on a device. Having only officially enetering the market last September, investment needed to drive the software into production was funded through the former footballer.
The 32-year-old reveals the company could be worth £3bn in three years
‘We are like the iPhone,’ he says. ‘Before that, you had letters, fax machines and telephones, but the iPhone puts it all into one and doesn’t cost too much and will be better quality. We did the same in agriculture with all technology on one machine.’
In the first year alone, Groinn is expected to have at least 150,000 people using the software.
‘I knew when I left football, I had something really big on my hands,’ Jota says. ‘We’re not talking about opening up a restaurant — I’ve invested so much money into this. The value of the company has projections that show this will be the world’s biggest agriculture company in three years.’
After leaving Spanish side Alaves in 2021, Jota was on the verge of securing a big move to Saudi Arabia.
The former Brentford star – who played over 60 times for the club between 2014 and 2017 – had no regrets about finishing his career at the age of 30.
His gamble on the investment has almost certainly paid off. He reveals that financial forecasts in years two and three will see Groinn expand into large territories – including across Asia.
The annual projection of the company is set to be worth over £600m in year two and then a sensational rise in year three to £3billion.
With over a quarter of that valuation earmarked to go to shareholders – including Jota – the former footballer could be on the cusp of billionaire status.
‘Our profit projections will be so big, no matter how much money someone offers me (for his stake), it will not be enough.’
This year, the company aims to explore new markets in Portugal, northern Europe and North America.
The Spanish government plans to invest in its technology and give it to the countr’s farmers – with the target being for every agriculturalist to have the software by 2030.