After one of the most heartbreaking tragedies in football, the world is still mourning for the loss of Diogo Jota, the Liverpool star whose life was truncated in a devastating car accident just weeks after her wedding of fairy tale. But between tributes and tears, a moving revelation of his widow, Cardoso Rute, who highlights a deeply personal facet of the Portuguese striker whom little knew. In an exclusive interview with the Portuguese mediaBall, Rute spoke of a “strange habit” that Jota transmitted without making his grandson, Dinis, a peculiarity of her late husband who makes her cry each time. “Whenever he does it, I break to cry … He is too similar to his father,” he confessed, with a trembling voice with a mixture of sour pain and affection. What is this mysterious habit and why does it have so much power over a duel family? While we deepen the details, prepare to discover a story that will touch its sensitive fiber and let it ask: could it be the final heritage of a man who has lived life in his own terms?
The rise of a football phenomenon: the journey of Diogo Jota in celebrity
Diogo José Teixeira da Silva, better known as Diogo Jota, was born on December 4, 1996 in Massarelos, Porto, Portugal. From his humble beginnings in Gondomar’s career, his way to glory was marked by an innate determination and a talent. He adopted the nickname “JOTA” to differentiate himself from other players with similar names, an ingenious wink to Portuguese pronunciation of the letter “J”. He made his debut as a professional of the Ferreira paços in 2014, where he quickly made the story as a younger player to score for the Club of the Premiera League. In 2016, he signed for Atlético de Madrid, but it was his assignments to Porto and the Wolverhampton Wanderers who really demonstrated his talent.
In the Wolves, Jota trained a fatal pair with Raúl Jiménez, helping the team to promote the Premier League in 2018 with 17 goals. Its transfer to Liverpool for 41 million pounds in 2020 scored before and after. With Jürgen Klopp, Jota has become a versatile attacker capable of playing on the entire attack line. He contributed to the triumphs of Liverpool, including double the FA Cup and the EFL 2021-22 Cup, and the title of the Premier League 2024-25. Internationally, he represented Portugal, winning the UEFA Nations League in 2019 and 2025, and participating in large tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup 2022 and Eurocup 2024.
Outside the countryside, Jota was a man of modern rebirth. A passionate player reached number 1 in the world in the FIFA 21 champions classification table and founded his own Essport team, Luna Galaxy. He transmitted on Twitch, combining his football reputation with digital entertainment. But it was his family life that kept him on the ground. Jota met his childhood love, Cardoso Rute, in the Institute, and his relationship prospered until they become a calm and devoted couple. They received their first child, Dinis, in 2021, followed by Duarte in 2023, and a girl whose name remained secret to protect their privacy. On June 22, 2025, they married an intimate ceremony in Portugal, surrounded by family and close friends. Tragically, this joy did not last little.
The tragic end: an accident that rocked the world
On July 3, 2025, only 11 days after his marriage, Jota and his brother André Silva died in a terrible car accident on the A-52 motorway, near Cernadilla, Spain. Jota, who recovered from a minor pulmonary surgery, had been advisable to fly and led his Lamborghini Huracán to Santander to bring a ferry to Liverpool for a pre-season formation. According to the civil guard reports, a burst of tires made the road left, crashes against a barrier and set fire. The speed could have been a factor, but the exact circumstances remain under investigation.
The news shocked the football community. Companions, rivals and fans paid tribute. Liverpool captain, Virgil Van Dijk, promised to “always be there” for Jota’s family, while Cristiano Ronaldo called him “a real warrior”. FIFA president Gianni Infantino, and UEFA published communications, and have been held minutes of silence in matches around the world. Jota funerals in Gondomar attracted thousands of people, including Liverpool legends such as Mohamed Salah and Jürgen Klopp. The club withdrew its 20th shirt in all categories, and the fans created murals in Anfield, immortalizing their contagious smile and their unshakable mind.
For Cardoso Rute, now a widow at 28, the loss was unimaginable. Leaving the education of their three young children – Dinis (4), Duarte (2) and her little daughter – withdrew to a large extent of public life, focusing on healing. But in his recent interview, he shared lightning of his private life, revealing how the presence of Jota persists unexpectedly.
The strange habit revealed: the legacy of a miniature father
The habit in question is misleadingly simple, but deeply strange: a ritual that Jota developed during his beginnings in the paços of Ferreira. To concentrate in the middle of professional football chaos, Jota attached the laces with an “inverted knot”, starting with the lower egg and turning the laces in the opposite direction to the clock needles three times before fixing them. It was not only functional; It was superstitious. “He said he helped him focus,” said Rute. “It started as a way to avoid distractions: he lived in the club’s residence to learn languages and stay alert. But he became his hobby. Before each match, of each training, even their relaxed walks, he did. Fans never knew because he was very subtle.”
What makes this habit “strange” is its eccentricity. Most players have routines before the match – to stop the grass, to kiss a tattoo – but that of JOTA was meticulously precise, almost obsessive. In an interview in 2021, he joked by saying that it was “my secret weapon against bad luck”. Psychologists suggest that these rituals come from high pressure environments, which gives a feeling of control. For Jota, it has become a particularity of the family. During the detention, I taught Dinis to attach his “Jota” shoes, which makes it a game to strengthen the links. “Diogo said:” Gy it as a dad and you will be unstoppable, ”recalls Ruta.
Now Dinis, with only four years, has adopted it unconsciously. “He does it every morning before putting his football boots,” said his eyes full of tears. “The way he is concentrated, this little frown … is identical to Diogo. Each time he does, he breaks to cry … He is too similar to his father. He is beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time.” The habit is not limited to shoes; Dinis applies the “reverse turn” when liaison of his backpack or even wrapped gifts, imitating the methodical character of his father.
Emotional echoes: why this habit affects us so much
Rute’s confession aroused a wave of empathy, but why does this apparently harmless habit evoke a raw emotion? Duel experts highlight “continuous links”: the ways in which survivors have links with those killed by shared rituals. Dr. Maria Santos, Lisbon psychologist specializing in the duel, explains: “Habits like this act like triggers. For Rute, see Dinis repeating, it is a double edition sword: reversal of gay memories, but underlines the permanent absence. It is a visceral reminder that the essence of Jota is still alive, even if it is not more.”
In the interview, Rute explained the origin of this habit. During his scene in wolves, Jota perfected it among nostalgia, using it as mental anchor. In Liverpool, he became part of his preparation before the matches, often in the costume tunnel. Companions like Trent Alexander-Arnold noticed it, but respected his privacy. “Diogo was so special,” said Alexander-Arnold in tribute. “It was his Zen moment.”
For the family, it is now an inherited symbol. Duarte, too young to remember her father, observes Dinis and clumsily imitated, creating a chain of inheritance. Rute admits that it is overwhelming: “Sometimes I have to leave the room. But I don’t stop it; It’s as if Diogo still taught them. This revelation Humanis Jota beyond the field, presenting it as an affectionate father whose idiosyncrasia hard.
