Diogo Jota showed true colours with wish for children as Liverpool and Wolves set to pay tribute

Tributes are scheduled for Diogo Jota when Liverpool meet Wolves at Anfield

The first game between Liverpool and Wolves since Diogo Jota’s death takes place this afternoon at Anfield(Image: PAUL ELLIS, AFP via Getty Images)

Diogo Jota’s desire to be the best father he could be to his three children was obvious when the Liverpool legend opened up about his family life. It’s been over five months since Jota tragically died in a car accident, alongside his younger brother Andre Silva, in news that rocked the sporting world and beyond.

The memory of the Portuguese star has remained strong since his passing. Liverpool fans have taken it upon themselves to retain his spirit by singing his song in the 20th minute – the number he donned – in every game.

Alongside being a tremendous player who continually came up trumps with goals in important moments, Jota was a family man – a husband and father of three young children. The importance he placed on his family was well-known to those close to him.

It was last year, during Liverpool’s Premier League title-winning campaign, that Jota discussed how he managed stress and his attempts to remain a present and passionate father at home when returning from his high-profile job as an elite footballer.

Speaking prior to the birth of his daughter, Jota told Liverpool’s performance psychologist Lee Richardson: “When I go home I still have a family, I have two kids – three almost – and the dogs and the stress doesn’t stop.

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Jota and his wife Rute Cardoso welcomed three children(Image: Instagram)

“You want to be the best father you can be, try to lead by example, give good feedback. Even though sometimes you want to get a bit more rest in the afternoon, they are all happy because you are finally at home and they want to play.

“I had this the day after the game, I wanted to get a bit of rest, [my son] wanted to play some football – and you need to be on it.”

There will be more emotional scenes on Saturday as two of his clubs in Liverpool and Wolves meet at Anfield for the first time since his death.

Jota’s wife, Rute Cardoso, will be in attendance with his sons, Dinis and Duarte, set to be mascots for the game. It was on Friday evening that Wolves paid tribute to the striker with his former international team-mate Jose Sa, head coach Rob Edwards and chairman Nathan Shi laying flowers at his memorial outside Anfield.

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Wolves players and staff visited Anfield on Friday night to pay their respects to Diogo Jota(Image: Wolverhampton Wanderers)

In Virgil van Dijk’s pre-match column, the Reds captain admitted the team are still coming to grips with Jota’s passing as he opened on what has been a triumphant and tragic 2025. He wrote: “Saturday marks our last fixture of 2025 and when I reflect back on the year there have been a wide range of emotions for everybody at the club.

“There have been some incredible highs, of course. To become Premier League champions, as we did back in April, was incredible. Lifting that trophy in front of you guys at Anfield is a memory that I will never forget, I can assure you.

“It was a real team effort and a deserved reward for a season of hard work, on and off the pitch. Soon after that, though, came the most devastating of lows. The loss of Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva in July was something none of us could ever have prepared for, and something all of us are still coming to terms with.

“Our thoughts, as ever, remain with Diogo and Andre’s family. They will never, ever be forgotten, and we will carry their memory always.”