Diogo Jota passed away on Thursday after a fatal car crash just 11 days after celebrating at his wedding with childhood sweetheart wife Rute Cardoso and their three young children.
14:29, 03 Jul 2025Updated 14:34, 03 Jul 2025
Diogo Jota with his wife Rute and their three young kids on the pitch
Diogo Jota with his wife Rute and their three young kids(Image: Instagram)
Diogo Jota tragically passed away in a fatal car crash on Thursday, leaving behind his newly wed wife, Rute Cardoso and their three young kids. The Liverpool FC star was just 28-years-old when he died and had just married his childhood sweetheart Rute 11 days beforehand.
In the months before his death, Diogo made a heartbreaking promise to his beloved family. The Portuguese striker, who joined Liverpool in 2020, passed away on Thursday after a fatal car accident in Zamora, Spain.
His younger brother, Andre, 26 was travelling with him in the Lamborghini they were driving when it crashed and also died. Diogo's heartbreaking death comes just 11 days after he exchanged vows with his childhood sweetheart Rude on June 22 in a lavish ceremony in Porto.
The pair, who had been together since their early teens, finally tied the knot after 15 years with their three young children by their side.
Diogo Jota and wife Rute Cadoso with their three kids at the wedding altar
Diogo Jota and wife Rute Cadoso with their three kids at the wedding altar just 11 days ago(Image: Instagram)
The couple share two infant sons, Denis and Duarte, and their eight-month-old daughter, the Mirror reports.
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Just a month before his baby girl was born, the late footballer opened up about mental health and family life in a video on his club's YouTube channel.
Sitting down with Lee Richardson, the club's performance psychologist, Diogo highlighted how the nature of football can sometimes allow players to mask their feelings.
He shared: "As a team sport, you can sometimes hide or benefit from what the team is doing or not. And in those individual sports, like boxing, Olympians, [they're by] themselves. So when they are not good, you can clearly see something is wrong".
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The doting father-of-three spoke of his kids, explaining that even after being on the pitch all day, he had to be "on it" when he came home to his family.
He shared: "When I go home after playing, I still have a family. I have two kids, three almost, and the dogs, and the stress, it doesn't stop.
In a touching vow to his family, he said: "You want to be the best father you can be".
Diogo added: "[You] try to lead by example, give him good feedback, even though sometimes you want to get a bit more rest in the afternoon, and they are all happy because you're finally at home and they want to play.
Rute Cardoso and Diogo Jota as teenagers
Rute Cardoso and Diogo Jota had been together since their early teens(Image: Instagram)
"I had this yesterday after the game. I wanted to get a bit of rest. One of my kids wanted to play some football and you need to be on it."
He also spoke of the stresses that can occur during a football career, stating: "Sometimes with the stress that you have in your life, you forget it. Obviously, everyone has things going on in their lives, whether it's business or family or whatever.
"I still feel like when I enter the pitch, everything clears. It doesn't come across my mind, fortunately for me. I'm not sure if that's the case for all the other players.
"Every time I'm on the pitch, I'm clear in my mind and I feel like I'm just doing what I know to do best."
Diogo passed away on Thursday with his younger brother and tributes have now flooded in after the fatal accident.
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His team issued a statement which read: "Liverpool Football Club are devastated by the tragic passing of Diogo Jota.
"The club have been informed the 28-year-old has passed away following a road traffic accident in Spain along with his brother, Andre.
"Liverpool FC will be making no further comment at this time and request the privacy of Diogo and Andre’s family, friends, teammates and club staff is respected as they try to come to terms with an unimaginable loss. We will continue to provide them with our full support."