Life is unforgiving and unpredictable, and nobody understands this more today than Rute Cardoso, wife of Diogo Jota, whose husband died in a car accident on July 3, ten days after their tearful wedding.
Diogo Jota, 28, and his younger brother Andre Silva, 26, were killed in a horrific smash when their Lamborghini went off the A-52 road in northern Spain, spun out of control, and burst into flames. Spanish police later confirmed that a blown tyre during overtaking was most likely responsible for the crash. The accident took place just outside Cernadilla, Zamora, near the Portuguese border.
A Dream Wedding That Ended in Tragedy
On June 22, Rute and Jota exchanged vows in a private wedding ceremony in Porto, Portugal, with their three children and close family in attendance. The pair, who met in high school in 2012 when they were 13, had been a couple for more than a decade. Rute stayed by Jota’s side through his football journey, relocating from club to club and nation to nation with him.
In his last Instagram post, Jota penned, “A day we will never forget,” about their wedding. Rute expressed the same in several posts, where she referred to the wedding as her “dream come true” and wrote “Yes to forever” in one sentimental caption. Jota answered tenderly: “I’m the lucky one.”
Hours before the crash, the couple shared a wedding reel full of sentimental moments, personal pictures, and smiles that now weigh unbearably.
The Crash and Its Consequences
Spanish emergency services quickly reached the scene and confirmed the deaths of the two brothers. They have since sent their bodies to Zamora for autopsy.
“The 1-1-2 Castilla y León operations center received several reports of a car accident… and the car was burning,” the emergency response report read. Medical and fire services quickly reached the scene but could not rescue the passengers.
A Football Star Remembered
Liverpool Football Club, in which Jota played from 2020, issued a statement, “Liverpool Football Club is saddened by the tragic death of Diogo Jota.
Jota netted 65 goals in 182 games for the Reds and claimed the Premier League, FA Cup, and League Cup. He also played for Portugal 49 times, helping the side win the UEFA Nations League twice. Previously, he made a name for himself playing with Paços de Ferreira and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Looking back on his career, Jota himself once spoke, “It is a great success for a little guy who came from Gondomar… It’s a moment that I will keep in my heart all my life.”
While the football world grieves, Ruth Cardoso now has to endure the unthinkable loss of her husband and the father of her three children, just days after they vowed forever.