A beautiful love story
On a day when all attention seemed to be focused on the "trial of the century," where a former Prime Minister was put on trial for corruption, Portugal was instead shocked by a tragedy that no one could have prepared for – especially Rute Cardoso.
The woman, who had just married Diogo Jota on June 22nd in Porto, became a widow just 10 days later.
They've only recently gotten married, but Jota and Rute's love story spans many years, encompassing three children. Their romance began by chance in high school and grew stronger despite all the ups and downs, especially the impulsiveness of youth.
Diogo Jota and Rute Cardoso met while attending the same high school in Gondomar – a small town of about 25,000 people in the north of the country.
Cardoso had just moved from another town and was in the same class as Diogo Jota, who was known as a student who could achieve good results without trying too hard.
The type of student who usually crams everything in the last two days. “He could get high marks without studying much,” she recalled in a 2016 interview republished by Correio da Manha.
At the age of 19, they moved to Madrid together when Jota began his international career at Atletico. However, his time there was short, as he only participated in the pre-season and was loaned out before even making his official debut, returning to Porto for the 2016/17 season, where he scored 9 goals.
Atletico then viewed Jota more as a financial acquisition than a sporting project, and the following year they loaned him out to Wolves – where his talent truly blossomed and attracted the attention of Liverpool.
Both Portugal and the football world mourned.
Tragedy struck while they were on their way back to Liverpool with his younger brother Andre Silva – also a footballer.
Their Lamborghini caught fire after a tire blowout while they were driving on the highway in Zamora, Spain. The two brothers chose to travel by car instead of plane on medical advice.
Diogo Jota recently underwent lung surgery, and as part of his recovery process, air travel is advised against due to changes in pressure.
According to Record, their plan was to drive to Santander (Spain), then take a ferry to Portsmouth (England), and then drive another 430 km to Liverpool to prepare for their first preseason training session on Tuesday, July 8th.
The accident cut short everything – both plans at Anfield and a shared life with Rute Cardoso. The tragedy was not just personal, but became a shared pain that shocked the entire football world.
In Portugal, from President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa to the neighbors of the two players' grandparents, everyone expressed their horror and grief.
President Rebelo de Sousa – who had planned to travel to Cabo Verde last Friday to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the country's independence from Portugal – announced he was cutting short his trip to attend the funeral.
According to President De Sousa, he attended the funeral to “express gratitude for the joys” and “contributions” Jota had made over the years. He emphasized Jota’s “profound humility.”
In Gondomar – where Diogo Jota lived, played, and met Rute Cardoso – the authorities declared a national day of mourning to commemorate him and his younger brother.
In 2022, Jota inaugurated a football academy at Gondomar Sport Clube, bearing his name. At the ceremony, he chose one of his own quotes as the motto: "It doesn't matter where we come from, but where we're going."
On his wedding day, he repeated this quote. However, Diogo Jota was no longer walking alongside Rute Cardoso on the path he had laid out for him.
For her part, Rute was distraught: "I can't accept that I've lost him..."
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/diogo-jota-tu-tinh-yeu-dep-nhu-co-tich-den-bi-kich-2418751.html
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