- Rute Cardoso shared details of her final exchange with Diogo Jota hours before he and his brother died in a car crash on July 3, 2025
- Liverpool released a biography titled Forever in our Hearts in Jota's honour, with all proceeds going to a grassroots football programme in his name
- Cardoso also revealed an unread message she sent Jota about a wedding surprise that he never got to see
Rute Cardoso, the widow of late Liverpool forward Diogo Jota, has spoken publicly about the last moments of contact she had with the footballer before he and his brother died in a car accident on July 3, 2025.
Jota and his brother André died in the early hours of that morning after their Lamborghini Huracán suffered a tyre blowout and caught fire.
Source: Getty Images
The unfortunate crash happened just 11 days after Jota had married Cardoso, and the tragedy sent shockwaves through the football world.
Jota’s widow reveals final text exchange
Cardoso's account was shared in a new biography published by Liverpool titled Forever in Our Hearts, which brings together tributes from those close to Jota alongside details of his career.
All proceeds from the book will fund a grassroots football programme to be set up in his name.
In the book, Cardoso described how Jota and his brother visited her family before setting off on their journey. Shortly after they left, she sent him a message wishing him a safe trip.
He replied with an emoji, and she followed up by telling him to keep his eyes on the road. That exchange was the last time he responded to her.
Wedding surprise Jota never saw
As reported by Liverpool Echo, Cardoso later sent a second message telling Jota she had something to show him when he stopped at a hotel along the route. The message was delivered, but Jota never opened it.
The message contained a video, a surprise put together by Cardoso and her bridesmaid for Jota during their wedding. Cardoso described his reaction to a similar moment on their wedding day as that of someone falling in love for the first time.
The unread message now stands as one of the most painful details Cardoso has shared since losing her husband, offering a glimpse into the ordinary tenderness of their final hours together before the accident claimed both his life and that of his brother.
Cardoso’s first public post after Jota’s death
Legit.ng previously reported that Rute Cardoso shared a post for the first time 19 days after her husband sadly died in a car accident in Spain.
The Portuguese model shared a post on her Instagram page on the anniversary of their wedding with a telling caption after his untimely death.
Source: Legit.ng
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