Heartfelt: Liverpool invites "family" to honor "Jota" in a special Premier League match against Wolves.
On 26 December 2025 GMT+7, The Sun, a prominent UK media outlet, reported that the English Premier League’s Boxing Day 18th match of the 2025-26 season, where Liverpool hosts Wolverhampton on Saturday, 27 December, will be a special occasion to honor the family of the late striker Diogo Jota.
Liverpool and Wolverhampton are both former clubs of Diogo Jota. This match will be the first meeting between the two teams since the Portuguese international striker tragically died in a road accident along with his brother André Silva in July.
The Sun revealed that during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Wolverhampton, Diogo Jota’s two sons, 4-year-old Dinis and 2-year-old Duarte, along with his wife, Rute Cardoso, will walk onto the pitch as mascots—children who escort players onto the field.
However, it remains unconfirmed whether Jota’s 1-year-old daughter, Mafalda, will also join the walk onto Anfield pitch.
Liverpool has announced the retirement of the number 20 jersey to honor the late Diogo Jota. The club is also showing support by paying out the full remaining wages of £14.5 million, as per his contract running through June 2027, to his family.
*Image credit: Instagram: rutecfcardoso14