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Diogo Jota's widow Rute Cardoso wears elegant white gown at Ballon d'Or ceremony

The Liverpool and Portugal star and his brother André Silva were honored at the Ballon d'or ceremony, where his widow and family made a surprise appearance.
Matthew Graham|
IMAGO / Propaganda Photo

It's still hard to believe that Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva passed away.

The Liverpool FC star died in a car crash with his brother less than two weeks after marrying his high school sweetheart Rute Cardoso in a beautiful ceremony in Porto, Portugal, where both of them were from originally, sharing the wonderful day in several Instagram posts.

RELATED: Diogo Jota's heartbreaking last words to his wife Rute Cardoso before his death

The couple also had three children together, their oldest boy Dinis in 2021, a daughter (who's name is still not public) in 2023, and their youngest son, Duarte, born last year.

Liverpool honored Jota in a moving ceremony before their first home match of the English Premier League, which Cardoso attended with her children. She also attended the Wolverhampton Wanderers FC tribute, where Jota became a breakout sensation.

Rute Cardoso
Ruben Neves and Diogo Jota's widow Rute Cardoso before the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester City at Molineux, Wolverhampton, England on August 16, 2025. | IMAGO / Pro Sports Images

Jota's widow has remained an inspiration, and that continued to night when she made a surprise appearance at the Ballon d'Or ceremony in a flowing white gown, where the late Diogo and his brother André were honored in easily the most moving moment of the night.

Jota's Liverpool teammate, Virgil van Dijk, was especially emotional.

It was a great way to honor Jota, who at only 28 years old, was taken way too soon.

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Matthew Graham
MATTHEW GRAHAM

Matthew Graham has over 20 years of media experience and oversees The Athlete Lifestyle On SI. He has had previous leadership roles at NBC Sports, Yahoo, and USA TODAY, where he co-founded For The Win (named Best Mobile Site by Digiday). He has also written for ESPN, Cosmopolitan, US Weekly, People, E! Online, and FHM, covering major sports and entertainment events like the Oscars, the Golden Globes, NBA Finals, Super Bowl, and winning the Yahoo Superstar Award for coverage of the Olympics.

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