Liverpool star Diogo Jota has died in car crash in Spain two weeks after his wedding day – leaving behind his childhood sweetheart wife Rute Cardoso and their three young children.
The forward died in a crash on the A-52 near the town of Zamora.
According to reports in Spain he was in the car with his brother Andre Silva, also a professional footballer who played for a team in the Portuguese second division, when the car veered off the road and burst into flames.
Jota’s brother is also understood to have died in the crash.
Who is Diogo Jota’s wife?
The childhood sweetheart wife of Diogo is Rute Cardoso, 28, who is also from Portugal.
She is the mother of his three young children: a son named Dinis, who was born in 2021. They also have a daughter, born in 2023, and a third child, a daughter, born in 2024, whose names have not been publicly revealed.
The pair regularly share sweet images of each other and their family on Instagram, with the oldest photo on Rute’s page dating back to 2013, which depicts the young lovebirds posing for a selfie together.
The pair attended the same school, according to Oh My Football.
However, it’s believed they did not start dating until 2013.
Rute’s Instagram documents her loyal support of her footballer beau, regularly posting images over the years supporting Diogo at Liverpool and Portugal matches, as well as during his time at Wolves.
In one sweet snap, she poses in a Diogo Jota Portugal jersey in front of the pitch at UEFA Euro 2020, with the caption: “Nação Valente” (‘Brave Nation’).
Just nineteen hours ago on Instagram, Diogo posted a video of his wedding day, writing “A day we will never forget.”
Rute’s last Instagram post shows a video montage detailing her engagement and fairytale wedding to the Liverpool forward.
Regarding the tragic car accident that killed Diogo, the region’s local council posted online: “Two young people died in an accident on the A-52 (Palacios de Sanabria). “The region’s del Puente Fire Station responded.
“The vehicle caught fire and the flames spread to surrounding vegetation.
“They were 28 and 26 years old. RIP.”
Emergency services confirmed: “The 1-1-2 Castilla y León operations room received several calls reporting a vehicle accident at Km. 65 of the A-52, in the municipality of Cernadilla, Zamora.
“A car was reported to have been involved in an accident and the vehicle was on fire,” a statement read.
“1-1-2 notified the Zamora Traffic Police, the Zamora Provincial Council Fire Brigade, and the Sacyl Emergency Coordination Center (CCU) of this accident.
“From there, a Medical Emergency Unit (UME) and the Primary Care Medical Staff (MAP) from the Mombuey Health Center were sent, who confirmed the death of two people on the scene.”
The tragic news comes just two weeks after Jota married his long-term girlfriend Rute Cardoso in Porto.
Jota joined Liverpool in 2020 from Wolverhampton for €44.7 million.
Since then, he has made 182 appearances, scoring 65 goals and providing 26 assists .
He won three titles with Liverpool: a Premier League title (2024-25), an FA Cup title (2021-22) , and a League Cup title (2021-22).
