Jota had three children and was recently married
Liverpool and Portugal forward Diogo Jota has died at the age of 28. The deaths of Jota and his brother Andre Silva, also a professional footballer who played for Penafiel, were announced by the Portuguese Football Federation.
According to reports in Spain, the two men died after a car in which they were travelling crashed in Zamora, Spain. The deaths of Jota and his brother Andre Silva, also a professional footballer who played for Penafiel, were announced by the Portuguese Football Federation.
He began his career with Pacos de Ferreira in his native Portugal before earning a move to Atletico Madrid as a 19-year-old, before moving to England.
He signed for Liverpool from Wolves in 2020 and scored 65 goals in 182 appearances for the club, with nine of those goals coming last season as Arne Slot’s side won the Premier League title. Jota also lifted the FA Cup and Carabao Cup with Liverpool, and was a Champions League runner-up in 2022.
Jota and his wife Rute Cardoso recently married in an intimate ceremony held just a few weeks ago. The couple have been in a relationship since their teenage years, getting together in 2013.
Jota and Rute had three children together and three pet beagles. They have a son named Dinis, who was born in 2021, A daughter born in 2023 and a third child, a daughter, born in 2024.
Jota announced Rute was pregnant with their third child when he scored a disallowed goal at Euro 2024. Before the goal was ruled out against Czechia, Jota put the ball under his shirt to indicate Rute is pregnant.
The couple regularly shared updates from their life together. Rute is often in the stands to watch the striker as he played for the Reds. The family settled perfectly on Merseyside since they made the move in 2020. Last year, Jota’s wife shared a short clip from the Main Stand as she said: “Back home.”
Jota spoke about him and his family as he signed for Liverpool in 2020. He told Liverpool.Com: “It’s just a really exciting moment for me and my family
“All of my path since I was a kid and now, to join a club like Liverpool – the world champions – is just unbelievable. I just want to get started.
“It is one of the best teams in the world – the best at the moment because they are world champions. When you look at the Premier League, you always see Liverpool as one of the biggest teams in the country, so it’s impossible to say no.
“So we just want to come [here], to give our best and hopefully I can become a good option for Liverpool in the future.”
A few days ago, the couple shared the news that they had tied the knot. In a joint Instagram post, Rute and Jota shared pictures from the wedding ceremony, which took place in a grand church last month. Rute wore a stunning white dress while Jota opted for a smart navy suit.
They shared pictures of them in front of the altar with their children and the couple emerging from the ceremony with a bouget of flowers.
In the caption, they said: “June 22, 2025. Yes to forever.” The Instagram post received over 190,000 likes and over 1,000 comments, including love heart emojis from fellow Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez and Natalia Becker, wife of goalkeeper Alisson.
Rute shared further pictures from their wedding day in a new post yesterday and said: “My dream come true.” Jota left a comment which said: “I’m the lucky one.”
André, Diogo Jota’s brother, was 25 years old and was in the devastating car crash with him. He was a professional player for FC Penafiel, a club in Portugal’s Second Division. His usual position was attacking midfielder. He had a promising career within Portuguese football.
The footballer spent time at FC Porto during his youth stage. Since 2020, he had played for Penafiel, where he had established himself as a regular member of the squad.
The brothers shared a close relationship, going on holidays together and training together in Portugal. They had celebrated Diogo’s wedding together in the Sanabria area, very close to the scene of the accident.
In a statement, Liverpool FC said: “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.”