Two weeks before Diogo Jota died in a car crash, the 28-year-old Liverpool star finally married his longtime girlfriend and mother of his 3 children

• Liverpool FC star Diogo Jota died in a car crash on Thursday. He was 28. On June 22, Jota finally married Rute Cardoso, who he was with since the two were both 16 years old. Jota and Cardoso had three children together.

Football lost one of its brightest stars on Thursday. Diogo Jota, a forward for Liverpool FC, died in a car crash in Spain alongside his brother, André Silva. The accident involved Jota’s Lamborghini, and occurred in the province of Zamora, but it’s still unclear who was driving the car at the time. Diogo was 28; André, a footballer for Portugal’s Boavista FC, was 25.

Tragically, Diogo had just gotten married two weeks ago to Rute Cardoso, the 28-year-old mother of his three children. Jota and Cardoso were together since they were both 16 years old. The couple got married in Porto, Portugal, Jota’s home city, and had also just celebrated his Premier League triumph with Liverpool just a handful of days ago.

In a statement, Liverpool FC called Jota’s death “an unimaginable loss.”

Jota’s journey began in the working-class outskirts of Porto, Portugal, where his parents paid for him to play for his local club, Gondomar. By 16, he was already a standout, scoring 39 goals in 37 matches in his final youth season.

Jota’s professional debut came in 2014 with Paços de Ferreira, where he became the youngest player to score twice in a Primeira Liga match since Cristiano Ronaldo, who is widely regarded as one of the best football players in history. Jota’s performances earned him a move to Atlético Madrid in 2016, though he never played a first-team match for the Spanish giants. Instead, he honed his craft at FC Porto and then Wolverhampton Wanderers, where he was instrumental in Wolves’ promotion to the Premier League, scoring 17 goals in his first season and earning a permanent move. Jota also notably became the first player in Wolves club history to score back-to-back European hat-tricks and was pivotal in their Europa League run.

Liverpool took notice of Jota and signed him in 2020 for a reported £45 million. He flourished at Anfield, scoring 65 goals in 182 appearances and helped the club capture the Premier League, FA Cup, and two League Cups. His ability to play across the front line—and even drop into midfield—made him indispensable, and his knack for decisive goals, including a memorable winner in the Merseyside derby, cemented his reputation as one of Europe’s most instinctive finishers.

Off the pitch, Jota was just as savvy. His Liverpool contract, extended in 2022, reportedly earned him more than £7 million annually, with total career earnings surpassing £40 million. Endorsements with Nike and EA Sports added hundreds of thousands more each year. Jota’s market value peaked at around €60 million, reflecting his status as one of the most sought-after forwards in the game. He also invested in esports, leveraging his passion for gaming into competitive play and business ventures that contributed an estimated $3 million to his portfolio.

Jota’s international career mirrored his club success. He earned 49 caps for Portugal, scored 14 goals, and was part of squads that won the UEFA Nations League in 2019 and 2025. He played in two European Championships and the 2022 World Cup, helping to usher in a new era for Portuguese football.

“It doesn’t make any sense,” Cristiano Ronaldo said about his friend and teammate. “Just now we were together for the national team, you were just married. To your family, to your wife and children, I send my condolences and wish them all the strength in the world. I know you will always be with them. RIP. Diogo and Andre. We will all miss you.”

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com