Lute Cardoso took to Instagram to thank his fans for their support during an “incredibly difficult time.” Diogo Jota’s widow was at Anfield with her children for Saturday’s match between Liverpool and Wolverhampton Wanderers. Their sons Dinis and Duarte served as mascots on an emotional afternoon at Anfield.
Before kick-off, the youngsters took to the pitch alongside Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk and Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa, in an emotional moment as the two Premier League clubs that Jota represented met for the first time since his death. Ms Root, who married him just two weeks before the tragic car accident, watched from the stands as the crowd performed an emotional rendition of “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”
Van Dijk then guided Dinis and Duarte into the Kop for a kickabout, drawing applause from the supporters. Earlier, Wolves fans gathered at the Jota monument on the outskirts of Anfield and left a number of tributes in his honour.
Liverpool secured a 2-1 win with goals from Ryan Gravenbirch and Florian Wirths, with Gravenbirch paying tribute to Jota with his iconic baby shark celebration performance after scoring.
The club shared a touching video of Jota’s children performing their mascot duties, including footage of Van Dijk consoling Route before the match. After the match, Jota’s widow posted a heartfelt photo of their children on Instagram.
She said: “Thank you from the bottom of my heart to the club and all our fans for the love, respect and support you have shown us during this incredibly difficult time. Your messages and gestures have meant more than words can express.”
Meanwhile, manager Van Dijk said it was an “honour” to be on the pitch with Jota’s sons before kick-off.
“It was a real honor to be able to work with the players and Ali[Becker],” he told the club’s official website.
“I think that was something I was really looking forward to.Obviously, after talking to Luthe and my family, it was something I was really looking forward to.
“It’s going to be emotional, but I think it’s something that the boys will remember forever. Hopefully there’s more to come for them and they can continue to enjoy Liverpool because it’s a huge place for them and Diogo will be with us forever.”
“I was very proud to be with them and I think the fans appreciated that.”
Anfield supporters continue to honor Jota through a touching tradition, chanting his name in the 20th minute of every game and marking the club’s retired shirt number in the player’s memory.
Fans filled the comments section of the widow’s Instagram post with touching messages for the family.
One fan wrote: “It was great to see you all at Anfield today. I hope I made you all proud. Diogo was definitely smiling over there watching his sons run at Anfield.”
Another chimed in: “Please know that we love you so much and that you will never walk alone.”
A third posted: “God bless you and your family. We love him always. YNWA.”
Among those who expressed support was Jota’s former Wolves and Portugal team-mate Sa, who left a heart emoji at the bottom of the post. Kostas Tsimikas, currently on loan at Roma from Liverpool, simply wrote: “Forever.”
