Just days after marrying the love of her life, Rute Cardoso, wife of late Liverpool star Diogo Jota, is grappling with unimaginable grief. The couple, who tied the knot on June 22, 2025, in an intimate ceremony in Porto, had only begun their new chapter when tragedy struck. On July 3, Diogo and his younger brother André Silva died in a horrific car crash in Zamora, Spain.
Rute, who had been Jota’s partner since their teenage years, shared a heartbreaking wedding video on social media just hours before the accident. The post, captioned “A day we will never forget,” now carries a haunting weight. In response, Diogo had commented, “But I’m the lucky one,”—his final public message to his wife.
Though Rute has not issued a formal statement, her silence speaks volumes. Friends close to the family say she is “devastated beyond words,” now left to care for their three young children—including a daughter born in late 2024—while mourning the man she called her soulmate.
Sources describe Rute as the emotional anchor in Diogo’s life, supporting him through every transfer, injury, and triumph. She had relocated with him from Wolverhampton to Liverpool, managing their home and raising their children while he pursued his footballing dreams. Their wedding, a celebration of over a decade of love, was meant to mark a new beginning—not an end.
As tributes pour in from across the footballing world, Rute’s quiet strength has become a symbol of the personal toll behind public tragedy. Her wedding post, now flooded with condolences, stands as a bittersweet reminder of a love story cut short.
In the words of one fan: “They said yes to forever. Life had other plans.”