Rute Cardoso, the wife of Diogo Jota, has described the devastating moment she learned that the Liverpool forward and his brother André had died in a car crash in Spain. The tragedy occurred on July 3, 2025, just 11 days after Jota married his childhood sweetheart in Porto.
Jota, 28, was travelling with his brother to board a ferry in Santander to return to the UK for pre-season training with Liverpool. He had been advised against flying back to England due to minor lung surgery weeks earlier. The pair died when their hired Lamborghini crashed on a motorway in Zamora, Spain.
A Night of Rising Anxiety
In an excerpt from a new biography, Rute recalls the night of the accident. After Diogo and André left for their journey, they planned to stop at a hotel in Benavente, Spain. Rute sent her husband a message saying "Safe journey," and he replied with an emoji. She told him to keep his eyes on the road. It was the last message he replied to.
Later that night, at around 22:40, the photographer from their wedding sent her a video of a surprise dance she and her bridesmaids had organised for Diogo. She forwarded it to their group chat and sent another message to her husband: "When you stop, I've got a video to show you." It was delivered but never read.
When Rute sent another message asking "Well?" as she thought they would be arriving at the hotel, a grey tick appeared on WhatsApp but no second tick to confirm delivery. Further messages to Diogo and André were not delivered.
The Phone Call That Confirmed Her Fears
Rute rang a friend, Catarina, who knew the name of the hotel in Benavente. The hotel receptionist said the two men had not arrived. She then phoned a hospital in Benavente and tried to contact the Spanish police, to no avail. Her sister Lídia suggested calling Uncle Vítor, a lorry driver, who might obtain information from the police.
Vítor rang the traffic police while keeping his Portuguese phone connected to the call with his niece. Rute heard him say into the other phone: "Yes, two brothers." Then she heard her uncle tell her brother-in-law Nuno: "The bodies are being taken away."
A Spanish police officer later confirmed he was speaking to Rute Cardoso and had Jota's ID in his possession, stating: "I hereby declare the death of Diogo José Teixeira da Silva, born on 4 December 1996."
Grief and the Aftermath
Rute remained in denial, refusing to accept the situation. She walked 11 kilometres that night, pacing around the yard at her sister's house. Two psychologists from the National Institute of Medical Emergencies had arrived to support the family.
At the mortuary, Rute was shown Diogo's body on a stretcher and André's inside a box, both placed in bags. She was given Jota's watch, wallet and wedding ring. She travelled back to Portugal in the van with Diogo's body, accompanied by Catarina.
Diogo Jota had helped Liverpool win the Premier League title in May 2025 and led Portugal to Nations League glory. The new biography, "Diogo Jota: Forever In Our Hearts" (Reach Sport, £22), is on sale now, with all LFC profits funding a grassroots football programme established in his name.
