Diogo Jota‘s widow Rute posted a heartwarming tribute to her husband on their daughter’s first birthday.
Jota passed away, alongside his brother Andre Silva, following a car crash in July. Rute and his three children – two sons and one daughter – survived him.
On their youngest child’s birthday on Wednesday, Rute took to Instagram to share 16 photos of the child, with Jota appearing in five of them.
The first photo features Rute, Jota and the baby in a professional photo, with the parents both wearing pink and looking down as they hold their youngest.
The second sees Jota cuddling the baby, who is wide-eyed, and the Liverpool star is also seen carrying the baby out of the hospital in a baby carrier.
Also included is another photo of Jota holding the baby in what appears to be a cafe or restaurant, and a snap of the family together at Anfield last season after Liverpool won the Premier League.
Dioto Jota’s widow Rute has paid tribute to her husband in an emotional post on their daughter’s first birthday
Jota appears in five of the six images, including one of him carrying his daughter out of the hospital
Jota and Rute married just days before the forward’s tragic death earlier this year
Rute posted ‘a whole year’ alongside a heart and star emoji on her daughter’s birthday
Rute captioned the post: ‘One whole year,’ alongside a heart and star emoji.
Fans flooded to the comments to offer their support, with one writing: ‘RIP. We miss and love him.’
Another wrote: ‘Forever,’ accompanied by five heart emojis.
Just before his death, Jota had joked about the pressures of becoming a new father in a heartbreaking clip and said ‘each day is a new day’.
Jota’s death tragically came just two weeks after he married his childhood sweetheart and mother of his three children, Rute, in Porto.
Heartbreaking footage emerged showing Jota joking with team-mate Joe Gomez about the joy and pitfalls of becoming a new parent, following the birth of his first child in 2021.
As part of an initiative by Liverpool FC with business Joie Baby to give gifts to each newborn child at Liverpool Women’s Hospital, the pair spoke to a midwife and shared stories of their children’s births.
Jota was also seen cuddling his daughter in one of the photos share by Rute on Wednesday
Jota blamed Covid for him becoming a father in a clip that saw him speak to a midwife about the experiences of child birth
Describing the moment he first found out he would become a father, the Liverpool player said: ‘It was a bit of a shock at first. It was Covid’s fault.’
He told how the birth was a special experience, saying: ‘You always think about that moment, but when it actually happens, I can’t describe the feelings.
‘One of the midwives offered me to cut the cord but I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t, I’m too sensitive.
When asked what advice he would give any team-mates who became new parents, Jota quipped: ‘If he comes to me I’ll send them to Joe because he’s more experienced!’
But he added: ‘Patience is the key, I would say… Each day is a new day.’