Liverpool and Wolves pay touching tribute to Diogo Jota as his kids are mascots

Diogo Jota tragically lost his life in a car accident in Spain in July, and his wife and children were in attendance as his former clubs Liverpool and Wolves met on Saturday

Anfield was filled with raw emotion as Liverpool and Wolves delivered a heartfelt tribute to Diogo Jota, with his widow and children present in the stands.

Liverpool forward Jota lost his life tragically in July following a devastating car accident in Spain that also claimed his younger brother, Andre Silva. The Portuguese international was just 28-years-old, having dedicated the final five years of his career to Liverpool.

This followed three memorable campaigns at Wolves, where he played a crucial role in securing their Premier League promotion and European qualification. Both clubs were left heartbroken by his death, with moving tributes displayed at their respective grounds throughout the campaign.

Saturday marked the first encounter between the two sides since Jota’s passing. Jota’s wife, Rute Cardoso – whom he wed merely two weeks before the fatal crash – observed proceedings from the Anfield stands.

Their sons, Dinis and Duarte, served as mascots and accompanied the players onto the pitch before kick-off, as a stirring rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone echoed around the stadium.

His family had previously been present at Liverpool’s season opener against Bournemouth at home and Wolves’ clash with Man City at Molineux in August.

Two stunning mosaics spanning two stands were revealed during a minute’s silence, displaying: ‘DJ 20’ and ‘AS 30’, reports the Mirror. The Kop also displayed a touching message: “Rute, Dinis, Duarte, Mafalda – Anfield will always be your home.”

Mafalda is Jota’s one year old daughter. The next day, Rute was present at Molineux for Wolves’ season opener against Manchester City. She stood beside Jota’s parents, who were visibly emotional and wiping away tears, along with his longtime teammate, Ruben Neves.

The entire Wolves squad made the journey to Anfield on Boxing Day to honour Jota at his memorial site outside the ground. Interim executive chairman Nathan Shi, head coach Rob Edwards and goalkeeper Jose Sa placed wreaths at Anfield.

Liverpool supporters consistently honour Jota by chanting his name during the 20th minute of every fixture, marking his shirt number, which has been permanently retired in tribute to the striker.

In his programme notes, Liverpool boss Arne Slot reflected on what has been a challenging 12 months for the club. “Doing so leads me to think especially of the family of Diogo Jota on what will be their first Christmas without him,” Slot penned.

“It is not my place to tell them where they should look for comfort – if that is even possible – but I can only hope that the feeling of love and affection that Diogo still generates brings them some solace.

“The sense of loss will be particularly strong on Saturday, of course, as it will be the first time that Diogo’s two English teams will meet since his tragic passing.

“Like us, Wolves were clearly very affected by the loss of such a special player and person so my thoughts continue to be with them also.”