Liverpool and Portugal footballer Diogo Jota tragically died in a car accident at the age of 28.
The accident occurred on the A-52 highway near the Spanish town of Palacios de Sanabria, in the province of Zamora. It happened just a few days after the great joy of his life, because on June 22, Jota celebrated his wedding.
What is known about Diogo Jota and what the footballer is remembered for, read in our article.
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Diogo Jota: What is known about the beginning of his career
Diogo Jota, whose full name is Diogo José Teixeira da Silva, was born on December 4, 1996 in the Portuguese city of Porto.
He has been interested in football since childhood, starting out in the local team Gondomar, and then joining the academy of the Pacos de Ferreira club, where he made his debut for the adult team in 2014. He was only 17 when he first took to the field in the Portuguese Cup, and a little later in the championship.
In May 2015, he scored his first goals in the Primeira Liga, becoming the youngest goalscorer in the club's history at that level.
Diogo Jota: biography and first matches in the English Premier League
His talent was noticed in Europe, and in the summer of 2016 he signed a contract with Spanish Atletico Madrid. But he did not manage to make it into the Madrid team – he was immediately loaned to Porto.
A year later, he found himself in English Wolverhampton. There, Jota really blossomed: in his first season, he scored 17 goals, helped the team reach the English Premier League, and then became a full-fledged Wolves player.
Diogo Jota's career leap and Liverpool games
In 2020, Jota's career took another leap – he moved to Liverpool for about 45 million euros. He made his debut in the team in red shirts in September, and scored his first goal just a few days after starting with the new team.
During his years at Anfield, he became an important player in Jurgen Klopp's team: he scored in key matches, including the Champions League, helped win the FA Cup, the League Cup. Moreover, in the 2024/25 season, he became the champion of England with Liverpool. In total, he played more than 180 matches in the Liverpool shirt and scored more than 60 goals.
Jota made his debut for the Portuguese national team in 2019. Since then, he has become a regular in the starting lineup. As part of the national team, he managed to take part in major tournaments and, together with Portugal, won the UEFA Nations League twice.
In the Portugal national team (all levels inclusive) Jota played 78 matches, scored 28 goals, received 9 yellow and 1 red card. For the category “A” national team – 48 matches, 14 goals.
Diogo Jota's passion is video games
Besides football, Jota had another passion – video games. In 2021, he even held first place in the FIFA 21 world ranking and had his own eSports team.
He often streamed on Twitch, and fans joked that he could score in the Premier League just as well as tear his opponents apart on PlayStation.
Diogo Jota: wife and wedding
In June 2025, he married his girlfriend Ruta Cardoso. Ruta Cardoso is Portuguese and has been close to Diogo Jota since they were young. They met while studying at the university in Porto and have been together for over ten years.
Their relationship began somewhere around 2012-2013. In July 2022, Jota proposed, and on June 22, 2025, they got married. The wedding was intimate and took place in Portugal.
She always supported her husband – she was with him during moves, changes of clubs, football victories and in personal matters.
Diogo Jota: Children
The first son, Dinish, was born in 2021, the second son appeared in 2023, and in November 2024 the family was expanded by a daughter.
Rute always kept aloof from publicity – she did not strive for fame, did not appear in the press, although she sometimes shared family photos and was often next to Jota at matches and at key moments in his life.
His death came as a shock to the world of football. Diogo Jota, who was only 28 years old, had a wife and three children.
Source: Portuguese Football Federation
