Inside Diogo Jota's life with childhood sweetheart Rute and their three children as she marks first anniversary

It's been just one month since Diogo Jota and Rute Cardoso celebrated their 'dream come true' and said 'I do' after first meeting as teenagers.

Now though, with the wedding pictures still fresh, newlywed Rute, 28, is facing a life with their three young children that she surely never could have imagined, one without her childhood sweetheart.

Diogo and his brother André Silva were both killed on July 3 when the Lamborghini they were travelling in left the road after reportedly having a tyre blowout and burst into flames.

Tributes are still pouring in for the footballer who, by all accounts, was a gentleman who loved his family above all else.

Marking their one-month wedding anniversary in a heartbreaking situation no one could have foreseen, Rute shared three pictures from their wedding day, the first of their rings and the other two of their first dance.

In her caption, the mum-of-three penned: '1 month of our “until death do us part” Forever, Your white girl.'

Diogo and Rute first met at high school in Porto and started dating in October 2012, with their more than a decade-long love story documented on Rute's social media.

Childhood sweethearts

Her posts show them going from young teens to young adults, embracing every opportunity presented to them and moving from their home to chase Diogo's football dream in the UK.

Rute had been by her love's side for all of his sporting achievements, with the player making his debut at 18 for the Pacos de Ferreira senior side in 2014 and signing for Atletico Madrid at 20.

He then played for his hometown club Porto before making the move to the UK to play for Wolves, with Rute also moving her life overseas to be with her man.

They seemed to lap up life in Britain, with Rute often sharing updates online of their lives, which in 2020 took them to the club Liverpool. Away from the pitch, 2020 was a huge year for the couple as just one month before Diogo signed for Liverpool, they announced they were expecting their first child together.

Their family

In February 2021, their son Dinis was born, with Rute sharing plenty of photos of herself and her little man cheering on Diogo's games.

Two years later, in March 2023, Rute and Diogo welcomed another little boy into the family, a son who they named Duarte, with Rute's photos showing her flourish into life as a mum-of-two.

The following year, their daughter was born in November 2024, with the couple staging a special pink photoshoot to commemorate Rute's pregnancy.

Heartbreakingly, their youngest child only got to spend seven months with her dad before his untimely and tragic death in July 2025.

As well as their three children, Rute and Diogo dote on their three beagle dogs who often appear in family photos.

Saying 'I do'

Although Diogo popped the question in July 2022, the couple waited until after the births of their second and third children to walk down the aisle.

They tied the knot on June 22, with Rute saying it was a 'dream come true' and that she'd 'said yes to forever' in posts that are now particularly poignant.

Diogo, clearly very in love with his wife and wanting the world to know, replied to her posts saying he 'was the lucky one' to be marrying her.

Now, the comments are filled with messages of support and RIPs, with many fans heartbroken to see that just hours before his death, Diogo shared his and Rute's wedding video.

The funerals of the brothers will begin today in Portugal, as reported by EXTRA.ie.

See more photos below: