Liverpool and Portugal hero Diogo Jota, who tragically passed away in July 2025, was supposed to celebrate his first wedding anniversary with wife Lute Cardoso this week.
Diogo Jota dies less than two weeks after marrying Lute Cardoso (Image: INSTAGRAM)
Diogo Jota’s wife Lute Cardoso has shared her wedding speech to mark the Liverpool icon’s first wedding anniversary. Jota, who was tragically killed in a car accident along with her brother Andre Silva last July, married her childhood sweetheart on June 22, 2025.
The couple had been together for over 10 years and had three children at the time of their wedding. They celebrated the joyful occasion surrounded by friends and family, but less than two weeks later, the Portuguese star was murdered on July 3 in Zamora, Spain.
Exactly one year after their wedding, Root shared a video of her husband’s emotional speech on social media. The Reds legend said in the video: “Maybe there’s someone here who knows better than me where the future will take us. But the truth is, I don’t know and as long as I’m with you, it doesn’t really matter to me. I love you forever, my Branquinha.”
As the first anniversary of his shocking death approaches, Jota’s legacy continues. His Portuguese teammates will be away at the 2026 World Cup, where he will keep his memory alive.
Roberto Martínez’s team, along with Jota’s team, will wear commemorative wristbands with the names of every member of their 26-man roster during the tournament. The wristband was presented to the Portugal national team by Montenegro Prime Minister Luiz.
“Basically the story of the wristband is that we went to see the prime minister and he gave us this wristband,” Paris Saint-Germain’s Portuguese midfielder Vicinha said ahead of the 1-1 opening game against the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
“They have confirmed that it is a wristband that you can wear on the pitch. It has all the players’ names on it, plus the special name Diogo Jota, and it has all the details that will allow you to come onto the pitch wearing it.”
“He let us choose if we wanted to use it and how (to use it) during the day or during the game. We took it with a lot of love and decided to use it.”
Tributes have been paid to Jota who passed away at the age of 28 (Image: PETER POWELL/EPA/Shutterstock)
Portugal took the lead in a 1-1 draw, with Joao Neves’ goal just before half-time canceled out by a header from Yoan Ouisza. Martinez’s team will face Uzbekistan in their second group match on Tuesday.
Before the first match, midfielder Bruno Fernandes spoke of Jota’s lasting influence. Manchester United captain Fernandes said: “Everyone has been talking about him. There will always be good things to say about him.”
“He was a great teammate, very down-to-earth and a great person for the country. He is still part of our group and always will be. So will his brother. He will also be remembered by us.”
Join our LFC WhatsApp community to keep up to date with the latest LFC news, opinion, transfer gossip and more. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can always check out. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
