Diogo Jota, who played football for Liverpool, got married to his wife Rute Cardoso just a couple of weeks ago and she shared a heartbreaking post just hours before he died

Diogo Jota’s wife Rute Cardoso posted a heartbreaking video of their wedding just hours before he died. The Liverpool star sadly died in a car crash in Spain at the age of 28 alongside his brother Andre, 26.

It was confirmed by Pedro Proenca, the president of the Portuguese Football Federation, that both Diogo and Andre died in the crash. In a statement, he shared: “The Portuguese Football Federation and all of Portuguese football are completely devastated by the deaths of Diogo Jota and André Silva, this morning, in Spain.

“Much more than an amazing player, with almost 50 internationalizations for the National A Team, Diogo Jota was an extraordinary person, respected by all teammates and opponents, someone with an infectious joy and a reference in the community itself.

Diogo and Rute on their wedding day(Image: diogoj_18/Instagram )

“On my behalf, and on behalf of the Portuguese Football Federation, I express my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Diogo and André Silva, as well as Liverpool FC and FC Penafiel, the clubs where, respectively, lined up the players.

“The Portuguese Football Federation has already asked UEFA for a minute’s silence, this Thursday, before the match of our national team with Spain, in the women’s European Championship. Lost to two champs. The disappearance of Diogo and Andre Silva represent irreparable losses for Portuguese football and we will do everything to, daily, honor their legacy.”

Rute on her wedding day(Image: diogoj_18/Instagram )

Emergency services in the Castilla and Leon region confirmed the crash with a statement which read: “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.

“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.”

Heartbreaking final post

Just hours before his tragic death, Rute posted a video of the pair’s recent nuptials, which she heartbreakingly captioned: “A day we will never forget”. Since news broke of his death, tributes have flooded in for Diogo on the post.

Diogo and Rute have been together since they were 13

In the video, they shared a snippet of their wedding ceremony including photos and videos of their family celebrating their big day. In one intimate video, Diogo and Rute were seen staring into one another’s eyes.

Wedding memories

The video perfectly captures the beautiful wedding between Diogo and Rute, who had been together since they were 13. In the video, the pair were shown taking some time on their own – Rute looking out over Porto and Diogo reflecting in the beautiful building.

The pair then celebrated with all their friends and family under a tent as they danced the night away and celebrated their love for one another. The wedding took place at a beautiful venue, with stunning castle architecture.

The pair married on June 22nd

Posting about their wedding, Rute captioned the post: “June 22, 2025. Yes to forever.”

Who is Rute Cardoso?

Diogo and Rute met back in high school, and they have been together ever since. The pair started dating back in Porto and she was there with him all the way throughout his career. In a sad post, she wrote: “It was 7 years ago today that two 15 and 16 year olds began their story at school! Two friends from the same class who never even dreamed what the future could bring!”

Rute and Diogo with their young family

She supported him whilst he trained with Pacos Ferreira to when he then joined Porto. After that, they headed to Spain when he played for Atletico Madrid before making the move to the UK where he played with Wolverhampton.

Diogo and Rute also share three young children together as well as three dogs. They welcomed their youngest child into the world in November and shared a sweet picture of their baby wrapped in a pink cardigan.

Childhood sweethearts Diogo and Rute(Image: @rutecfcardoso14/Instagram)
Just earlier this week, Rute posted a beautiful picture of herself getting ready for her wedding, which she captioned: “My dream came true,” alongside a white heart. In the comments of the post, her husband wrote: “But I’m the lucky one,” alongside a heart eyes emoji.