Liverpool vs Wolves: Diogo Jota’s Widow, Rute Cardoso, Shares Her Thoughts Following Heartfelt Tributes

Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers honored their late former player, Diogo Jota, who tragically died in a car accident in July 2025, during their Premier League clash over the weekend. Jota’s widow, Rute Cardoso, has now shared her gratitude for the tributes.

Jota, who joined Liverpool from Wolves in the summer of 2020, passed away alongside his brother, Andre Silva, while returning to England from a trip in Zamora, Spain. Since his passing, the football community has come together to celebrate the life of the talented Gondomar academy graduate. Liverpool retired his No. 20 shirt in his memory, and both clubs paid tribute during Wolves’ visit to Anfield.

For the first meeting between Jota’s former English clubs since his death, his two young sons, Dinis and Duarte, served as mascots, and the crowd gave two rounds of applause in his honor. Before the match, Wolves players laid floral tributes outside Anfield, commemorating the ex-Old Gold star who scored 44 goals and provided 19 assists in 131 appearances for the club. During the match, Wolves fans sang for Jota in the 18th minute, and Liverpool supporters responded with applause in the 20th minute.
Jota’s wife, married to him just weeks before his passing, took to X (formerly Twitter) to thank both sets of fans. She wrote:

“From the bottom of my heart, thank you to the club and to all the fans for the love, respect and support shown during this incredibly difficult time. Your messages and gestures have meant more than words can express.”
The couple had been together since their youth, sharing three children: two sons and a daughter born in 2024. They married on June 22, 2025, and Cardoso recently marked their one-month anniversary with a heartfelt post.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot praised the fans for their respectful tributes. Following goals from Ryan Gravenberch and Florian Wirtz, Wolves’ Santiago Bueno scored a consolation goal. Slot said:
“It was difficult but in a way also special and nice. The football world again showed how to behave in moments like this. Our fans have been incredible since the tragedy.

Today, the away fans also showed that it is not only our fans who honor him. In the 18th minute, Wolves fans sang for Diogo and ours clapped, and in the 20th minute it was the other way around. English fans truly showed today that it’s not just the players who make this league special.”