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Football paid a heartfelt tribute to Diogo Jota during Monday night’s Ballon d’Or ceremony, with his wife Rute Cardoso present at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris.
The football community is still grieving after the tragic loss of Anfield favorite Jota, who, along with his brother Andre Silva, perished in a car accident on July 3 in northern Spain.
Jota had married childhood sweetheart Rute just 11 days before his death. The pair share three young children.
‘This summer, the football world was shaken by the sad news of Diogo Jota’s passing, alongside his brother Andre Silva,’ remarked host Kate Scott, who shared the stage with Dutch legend Ruud Gullit.
Diogo Jota’s wife Rute Cardoso attended the star-studded Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris
Jota and his brother Andre Silva were remembered during the awards night on Monday
Jota’s Liverpool teammates Virgil van Dijk (left) and Alisson Becker (centre) were in attendance
Gullit added, ‘Jota was adored by fans for his dedication to his club and country, beloved by teammates and supporters alike. Let us fondly remember them together.’
A montage of memorable football moments from the brothers was displayed at the event, with van Dijk and Becker visibly moved as they joined in the audience’s applause.
‘We do know that their family are actually here with us this evening so we would just like to say we are so sorry for your loss,’ Scott said.
Jota’s wife was pictured on the red carpet wearing a white dress ahead of the ceremony.
Other notable names from Liverpool, including manager Arne Slot, also attended the event.
Since Jota’s untimely death, tributes have poured in from the global football community—including heartfelt acknowledgments from his former teams, Liverpool and Wolves, which honored his legacy at the start of the Premier League season.
Jota was a popular figure among his fellow footballers, with Everton star Beto revealing how his fellow Portuguese helped him settle in Liverpool when he joined the Toffees in 2023.
Beto was among the Everton delegation which laid flowers outside Anfield following the news of Jota’s death.
And the striker, who like Jota was born in Portugal, said the late Liverpool forward had sent him an Instagram message shortly after his arrival in the city following his £25.8million move from Torino.
Jota tragically passed away on July 3 in northern Spain, 11 days after marrying Rute
The pair were childhood sweethearts and share three children together
The message from Jota read: ”I’m happy for you. If you need anything in the city, I can help you. Just give me a shout.’
‘Of all the big names from Portugal that play in England, he was the first one to text me,’ Beto said. ‘The day I signed or the next day.
‘You have Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes and he was the first guy, the first person.
‘We were not friends but, you know, when you play against Portuguese players and everything, we normally stop, we speak a little bit.
‘After every game that we play against Liverpool, we talk a little bit. I ask, “How is everything?” Not just because he was Portuguese, but he was a really, really nice person. Humble. And you can see what everyone says about him.
‘The day that thing happened, I was at home in Portugal. That day I would travel to Manchester to come here for the pre-season. And I was shocked. I was shocked because Diogo was a really good guy.’
The 27-year-old said he saw a ‘togetherness’ between Liverpool and Everton in the wake of Jota’s passing.
‘If I go to Anfield on a Saturday and they boo me it’s normal.
The world of football has paid tribute to Jota, with Rute attending Wolves and Liverpool
‘They’re not going to be thinking: ‘Oh, Beto is a good guy because he went to lay flowers for Diogo.’ It’s not the same.
‘But when it matters, when it was about life, they were there because they are human.
‘Of course, I have respect for Diogo and the Liverpool community.
‘ I go there to play and to win and I will not try to have any action that shows them disrespect because when I went there, they showed me respect.’
