Jota has opened up on the emotional toll of his long injury battle after making his return to Celtic Park in Sunday’s 7-1 win over Hearts.

The goals had already put Celtic in control, but Jota’s return brought its own reaction from the stands.

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Jota’s return brought a huge response from the Celtic support, with the winger back on the Parkhead pitch after months of work behind the scenes.

Speaking after the game, Jota admitted the moment meant plenty.

He said: (Celtic FC YouTube), “It felt amazing.

“I was expecting this moment for a long time now, and I think it was a great day as well for everyone.

“We delivered and I was really happy with it as well.”

Jota’s road back has not been straightforward.

The winger has had to deal with a long spell out, managed minutes and the mental side of not being able to do the thing he loves most.

Asked what the last 18 months had been like, he said: “It’s like a rollercoaster of emotions.

“We could stay here for two weeks for me to speak about everything that was going on in my head.

“What can I say? In the end, it’s part of everyone’s life. Everyone struggles.”

Jota was honest about the darker parts of the recovery process, but he also spoke with real perspective.

He said: “I think I’ve met some demons and I’ve had some good talks with them.

“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, if you don’t grow from a situation like this, it’s because you didn’t learn anything.”

That gives a real insight into where Jota is now.

He is not pretending the recovery was easy. He is not rushing to claim everything is finished either.

But he does believe he has come out of it stronger.

He added: “There’s no lost time because, in the end, I grew a lot.

“It had to be what it had to be and I didn’t lose, I actually gained.

“Because in here, I’m way stronger nowadays, so it will help me definitely.”

The connection with the Celtic support was also still clear to see.

Jota was cheered when he went to warm up, then given another big reception when he entered the pitch.

He said: “That means what my life with Celtic was, is and will be.

“It’s a reciprocal relationship.

“We’ve built on this for a long time and the love I received from them is also because of the things that we achieved.”

Jota also had a clear message about what comes next.

He said: “I’m not done here.

“I still want to achieve a lot of stuff with them and I just can’t wait to get back to the level and just deliver every game.”

Sunday was not about chasing a headline in a game Celtic had already won.

It was about being back where he wanted to be.

Celtic Park had waited to see him again, and the winger’s message was clear enough. He has more to give.