Diogo Jota’s wife Rute Cardoso may not be known widely to the general public but she has been the strength behind Jota’s footballing journey. From Portugal to the English Premier League, she has been quietly influential. Her presence in his life was never loud or flashy but it has always been loyal and deeply impactful.
Born in 1996 in Porto, Portugal, Rute met Diogo during her teenage in school. Their love story started as a simple friendship but eventually turned into a long-term relationship that was for 12 years before the duo got married.
Diogo was always very dedicated towards his football career, he moved from Pacos de Ferreira to FC Porto then went on into joining Wolverhampton, Wanderers and then Liverpool. Rute remained by his side throughout his football journey, through every transfer, transition and victory.
Rute is a classic example of an unsung hero who always supported Diogo through thick and thin. In August 2020, the couple announced that they were expecting their first child, their son Denis who was born on February 2021. The family grew in March 2023 with the birth of their second child and the third was born in November 2024. While Jota managed his football career, Rute embraced motherhood with grace and took care of the family.
After a decade together, the couple got married on June 22, 2025 in an intimate ceremony which was held in their hometown Porto. But life had different plans just ten days after their wedding disaster struck. On July 3, 2025 Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva died in a fatal car accident in Spain. A tire blowout caused their Lamborghini to veer off the A-52 highway in Zamora and burst into flames, killing both instantly.
