Diogo Jota's widow pays special tribute to late Liverpool star on poignant milestone

Diogo Jota tragically died in a car crash in Spain last July, with his wife Rute sharing a touching tribute to the Liverpool star ahead of the family's first Father's Day without him

Diogo Jota and wife Rute Cardoso got married on June 22(Image: Instagram/diogoj_18)

Diogo Jota's widow has delivered a poignant tribute to the late Liverpool star ahead of the family's first Father's Day without him.

On 3 July last year, the football community was devastated when Jota and his brother Andre lost their lives in a car crash in Spain. Jota was making his way back to Liverpool for pre-season training following minor lung surgery in Porto, Portugal. He had originally intended to fly back to the UK, but opted to travel by ferry from Santander, Spain on medical guidance.

The tragedy unfolded just 11 days after the Portuguese footballer wed long-term partner Rute Cardoso, the mother of his three children. He was 28 years old.

On Sunday, Rute, 29, took part in a 10k Father's Day race in Porto. She donned the No. 20, honouring the squad number Diogo wore throughout much of his career, including at Liverpool, reports the Liverpool Echo.

She shared several photographs from the race to Instagram, with followers flooding the comments section to honour her and her late husband. "So proud of you," one commenter wrote.

"You'll never run alone," another said, whilst a third posted: "Heaven smiles on you."

Rute finished the 10k race in 52 minutes and seven seconds. Upon crossing the finish line, she gazed towards the sky and dedicated her achievement to the love of her life.

Whilst Father's Day in the UK takes place on June 21, in Portugal, it occurs on March 19. The date represents just one of numerous poignant milestones facing the Jota family following Diogo's death, including their forthcoming wedding anniversary.

Alongside the race, Rute also attended an event on Saturday at the Arena Liga Portugal in Porto, where the Final Stage of Phase 2 of the E-Sports championship occurred, featuring a team from FC Porto. This side is directly connected to Diogo and is now partially overseen by Rute.

Rute Cardoso is enjoying spending time in Thailand with her three children(Image: Instagram/Rute Cardoso)

Earlier this month, Rute posted a family update from a recent journey she'd made with her children to Phuket, Thailand. She shared a photograph of them all standing before an elephant, accompanied by the caption: "Grateful for all the love in Phuket."

The Jotas had previously visited Hong Kong, where Rute had been presented with a moving book of condolences filled with sincere messages and hand-drawn illustrations of her late husband.

Last month, Rute posted a tribute to Diogo on Valentine's Day, February 14. She shared a photograph beside Jota, set to the song "If I would have known" by Kyle Hume.

Jota transferred to Liverpool from Wolves in a £41million agreement back in 2020. He ultimately featured 182 times for the Reds, netting 65 goals.

He secured the Premier League, the FA Cup and the League Cup at Anfield, and was a two-time Nations League champion with Portugal. After his passing, Liverpool officially retired his No.

20 shirt.