Wolves played their first home game of the Premier League season on Saturday since the death of their former player Diogo Jota, whose wife and parents were present for the match against Manchester City
20:00, 16 Aug 2025
Wolves paid tribute to Diogo Jota
Wolves paid tribute to Diogo Jota(Image: 2025 Catherine Ivill - AMA)
The family of the late Diogo Jota were visibly moved at Molineux on Saturday night as Wolves honoured their former player with a breathtaking tifo ahead of their Premier League opener against Manchester City.
The incredible tribute in the South Bank depicted a giant Jota celebrating one of his many goals during his tenure with Wolves - a period that saw him guide the team to the Championship title, promotion, and consecutive seventh-place finishes in the Premier League.
Alongside the tifo, a banner was unfurled on the pitch bearing the poignant words: "We'll remember you when you walk in fields of gold."
Jota's wife, Rute Cardoso, attended the match alongside Ruben Neves, Jota's ex-Wolves and Portugal teammate and close friend, who also served as a pallbearer at his funeral following his tragic passing last month.
Also present for the match were the parents of Jota and Andre Silva, who tragically lost his life alongside his brother in the car accident in Spain last month. Like Jota's wife, Isabel and Joaquim Silva were brought to tears by the emotional tribute.
Ruben Neves and Rute Cardoso at Molineux on Saturday
Ruben Neves and Jota's wife Rute Cardoso were at Molineux on Saturday(Image: Getty Images)
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As the game clock ticked past the 18-minute mark, fans throughout the stadium rose to their feet and applauded for a full minute in honour of Jota, who wore the No. 18 shirt during his time with the Black Country club.
Jota moved to Liverpool from Wolves in 2020, spending five years at Anfield, and Liverpool's Premier League curtain-raiser against Bournemouth on Friday also featured numerous heartfelt tributes to Jota.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot confessed after the match that he wished he could have brought on Diogo Jota from the bench when his team were hunting for a decisive goal.
"Normally at 2-2 everyone knows which player I look to at that moment in time," Slot revealed. "I would have loved to bring in Diogo Jota, but I could not for terrible reasons. But tonight the fans and the players did what he did for us many times in the past."
Diogo Jota's parents were in attendance for Wolves Vs. Manchester City
Diogo Jota and Andre Silva's parents were in attendance for Wolves vs Manchester City(Image: 2025 Getty Images)
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Federico Chiesa, who netted Liverpool's crucial third goal late in the game, also dedicated his performance to Jota during a post-match chat, saying: "[The goal] was a great moment for me, but my thoughts go to Diogo.
"I think for what we have seen it was his day. The feeling that the fans gave me, chanting his song all the way through the match. It was very emotional, very emotional for me. I have to say that after the goal my thoughts went to his family, his brother Andre. That's the only thing I could say.
"At the end of the day we have to focus on the football. We wanted to win today. It was a difficult match, we went 2-0 up and then they came back, but we showed why we are champions.
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"Of course Diogo would have helped us a lot but unfortunately he was somewhere else and he helped us in another way."