Porto-born Jota, who also played for Wolverhampton Wanderers during his career, was travelling back to England after undergoing lung surgery when the tyre of a Lamborghini burst during an attempt to overtake in the early hours of Thursday 3 July.
Emergency services were quickly called to the scene after several calls had alerted them to the accident – and they later confirmed that Jota, formerly of La Liga outfit Atletico Madrid and FC Porto, and his brother had sadly passed away.
In the immediate aftermath of the news, tributes from teammates and footballing legends flooded in and Liverpool, a club he played 182 times for, have since retired the No.20 shirt in memory of the talented winger – and now, his wife has bravely spoken out in his memory.
Diogo Jota’s Wife’s Heartbreaking Tribute to Late Liverpool Star
The pair got married just two weeks before his tragic death
Just a couple of weeks before he passed away, Jota married his childhood sweetheart, Rute Cardoso, after proposing to her back in July 2022. They officially tied the knot on June 22, 2025 – but tragedy struck not long after as he and his brother were pronounced dead at the scene.
Marking the one-month anniversary of their wedding, Jota’s wife has taken to social media to commemorate his life – and the love they shared. She posted some snaps from their special day: the first showing their hands being held with their rings on show.
The following two pictures were of the pair dancing. Translated into English from Portuguese, the caption read: “1 month [since we said], ‘Until death do us part’. For ever, Your [bride].”
A telling reminder that life should not be taken for granted, Jota’s final social media post before his untimely passing was a post about his wedding and the love and compassion he had for his wife, Rute. The Porto academy alumni shared a clip with the caption “A day we will never forget.”
A one-time Premier League winner, Jota played 37 times under Slot’s stewardship last term as they won the English top flight title. In that period, the forward plundered nine goals and four assists. Overall, he was a great footballer and an even better character.