Liverpool to Pay Diogo Jota’s $20M Contract to His Widow

Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and his brother, André Silva, died in a tragic car accident in Spain on Thursday—just two weeks after Jota married his wife, Rute Cardoso. 

The club will pay out the remainder of the 28-year-old’s contract to his family, according to a report by Portuguese newspaper Record. Jota’s wife and three kids should receive close to $20 million, as the forward had two years remaining on a five-year deal worth about $9.94 million per year (£7.28 million), according to Spotrac.

Liverpool also released a statement saying Jota’s No. 20 jersey would be “rightfully immortalized.” It’s unclear if that means The Reds intend to retire his jersey.

Jota spent five years playing for Liverpool, scoring 65 goals in 182 games. He helped the club win four titles: one FA Cup, two EFL Cups, and, most recently, the 2024–25 Premier League.

He played 49 games for the Portuguese national team—excluding the 30 games he played for the country’s various youth squads—and scored 14 goals. He won two UEFA Nations League titles with Portugal, including one this past May.

Silva, who was 25, was a midfielder for FC Penafiel of Liga Portugal 2.

Several of Jota’s teammates were in attendance for the funeral of the two brothers on Saturday in Gondomar, Portugal. The Liverpool contingent included team captain Virgil Van Dijk and coach Arne Slot. Portugal national team coach Roberto Martinez was also in attendance, along with stars Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernándes. 

According to the Associated Press, Spanish police are still investigating the crash, though the belief is that their vehicle lost control due to a blown tire. No other vehicles were involved in the crash.