Diogo Jota’s widow Rute Cardoso has sent Luis Dias a heartfelt message two years on from Jota’s special gesture on the pitch. The mum-of-three was in a long-term relationship with the late Liverpool FC forward before his tragic death in July. The much-loved player died in a road traffic accident at the age of just 28.
Rute has taken to social media to mark a special memory from two years ago. On October 28 2023, Luis Diaz’s dad Luis Manuel was kidnapped along with his wife, Clienis Marulanda, in their homeland of Colmbia by armed men on motorcycles.
Mrs Marulanda was found shaken but safe hours later, but Mr Diaz remained with the kidnappers and a huge search and rescue mission involving well over 200 members of the police force was underway for close to a fortnight. He returned safely back to his family after almost two weeks as a hostage.
On October 29 2023, Liverpool played Nottingham Forest. When Diogo Jota scored the first goal of the match, he dedicated his goal to Luis Diaz, lifting up his number seven shirt to the crowds at Anfield.
At the time, Liverpool posted the image of Jota holding up Diaz’s shirt as he celebrated the first goal. In response to the touching moment, Diaz commented on the post with a love heart and raised hands emoji.
Jota had also posted the photo on Instagram back in 2023. He wrote: “Today for you. Lots of strength! You will never walk alone.”
Two years have now passed since the memorable moment and Diogo Jota’s wife Ruta Cardoso has marked the special memory.
She re-shared Jota’s post from the day. She added the words: “2 years ago”, tagging Luis Diaz and his fiancee Gera Ponce, who also re-shared the post to her Instagram story.
Rute spoke publicly about her husband’s death in July. The two married just two weeks before he died. The couple had three children together.
She shared pictures of the couple dancing at their wedding and a close-up of them holding hands. In the caption, translated from Portuguese to English, Rute referenced her wedding day and said she would always be his bride. She said: “One month of our ‘until death do us part’. Forever, your white girl.”
In July, Jota died in a car accident alongside his brother, Andre Silva, who was aged 25. The brothers and Rute all hailed from Gondomar and the ECHO visited the region in Portugal earlier this year to hear how much Silva and Jota mattered to their community.
A local named Carlos Vara told the ECHO how the values Silva and Jota embodied made them perfect role models for the next generation. The 60-year-old said: “They mean a lot because they come from a very humble and very dedicated family. They were great players and they were two great human beings.
“They were an example to the community because they have a special light and they cultivated that light. That means a lot. You don’t have to be number one in the world to be either a good player or a good person. And they were both.
“They started from the bottom as kids. They kept pushing on and going, step by step, and that’s why the kids and the clubs in the city are following their example.”