A Love Story and a Young Family Shattered
Diogo Jota’s life off the pitch was as inspiring as his footballing career. He and his childhood sweetheart, Rute Cardoso, met as teenagers in Porto around 2013. Their relationship grew steadily over the years, enduring long distances and the pressures of Jota’s rise in professional football.
On June 22, 2025, the couple finally tied the knot in a beautiful, intimate wedding in their hometown, surrounded by close family and friends. Photos from the day showed a glowing Rute in a stunning white gown, while Jota looked dashing in a classic tuxedo. The couple described their wedding as the culmination of a decade-long love story.
Together, they built a young family. Jota and Rute were parents to three children:
Dinis, their first son, born in February 2021. Duarte, their second son, born in March 2023, and a baby daughter, born in November 2024, whose name they had not yet shared publicly.
Jota often spoke about how fatherhood changed his perspective on life, calling his children “my greatest trophies” in an interview. He frequently shared glimpses of family life on social media—playing with Dinis in the garden, celebrating Duarte’s first birthday, and cradling his newborn daughter earlier this year.
Tragically, their dream of raising their children together ended abruptly less than two weeks after their wedding. As the family mourns, fans around the world have flooded social media with tributes, sharing Jota’s touching posts about his wife and kids as reminders of a life filled with love, both on and off the pitch.
