Liverpool forward Diogo Jota’s widow reveals final text before fatal crash
The widow of former Liverpool forward Diogo Jota has revealed the heartbreaking final message she sent him moments before his fatal car accident last year, ahead of the release of a new official biography.
Rute Cardoso shares the tragic details in ‘Nunca Mais e Muito Tempo’, a book chronicling the life of the late Portugal international.
The 28-year-old lost his life alongside his older brother on 3 July, just 11 days after marrying his childhood sweetheart.
The fatal crash occurred on the A-52 motorway in Spain as the attacker drove a rented sports car towards Santander to catch a ferry to the UK.
Unseen wedding video
Cardoso explained she had just received the couple’s wedding video and messaged her husband to pull over so they could share the moment.
Love, when you stop, call me, because I have something here to show you.
Tragically, the former Wolves star never received the message.
Speaking on Portuguese television, presenter Isabel Figueira detailed how the harrowing sequence of events is narrated in the upcoming release.
Frantic search for answers
When her husband failed to respond to the text, Cardoso began a desperate attempt to locate him.
She contacted the hotel where the player was due to stay, before widening her frantic search to hospitals and local police.
Before his untimely death, the versatile forward had established himself as a vital component of Liverpool’s attacking line, regularly competing at the summit of the Premier League.
The biography, written by former footballer Jose Manuel Delgado, also features contributions from Liverpool head coach Arne Slot and former manager Jurgen Klopp.
A grounded family man
The new publication paints a picture of a grounded individual who shunned the extravagant lifestyle often associated with elite athletes.
Unlike most players, who like flashy cars, jewellery and watches, Diogo was never into that scene.
The vehicles we had were enough for him.
Perhaps because he was never very interested in cars, he took the opportunity to have the experience of driving a Ferrari, which, in fact, he returned on the morning of our wedding. Afterwards, he would rent the Lamborghini.
