Liverpool manager Arne Slot proudly confirmed rumours that the club’s owners have paid the full contents of Diogo Jota’s salary to his family after the Portuguese forward tragically passed away over the summer, an act of compassion which the Dutch coach stressed was not the norm in football.
Jota was killed alongside his younger brother André in a car crash in Spain on the morning of July 3. The world of football united in their mourning of two young men taken in the prime of life, while attention soon turned towards the family left behind.
Rute Cardoso had three children with Jota and the pair were married just 11 days before he died. No amount of money can make up for that loss but Slot was keen to highlight the gesture made by Liverpool’s powerbrokers.
“Owners are mainly criticised, like managers, but the way they’ve handled this situation, by paying his wife and his children all the money from the contract [is commendable],” Slot told TNT Sports. “Maybe people think it’s normal, but it is not in football.”
Money has been no object for Liverpool of late. The Reds spent more this summer than any other club in football history, splashing as much as £415 million ($553.2 million) on transfer fees before even considering the wage demands of those new recruits. The cost of paying out the remaining two years on Jota’s deal is thought to be in the region of £10–15 million.
Anfield pays tribute to Diogo Jota and Andre Silva. pic.twitter.com/iTSwEgskdG
— Sports Illustrated FC (@SI_FootballClub) August 15, 2025
Slot also hailed the emotional support provided by those across Merseyside during these dark times. “The grief of the city, that is what makes it so special for me to work at this club,” he continued. “The way the fans conducted themselves after that tragedy, how many flowers there were, all the memorials, I almost get emotional thinking about it.
“It’s unbelievable what our fans have done—and our players as well, the way they’ve conducted themselves in and around the funeral, then we had to train again.
“There are moments where I feel what his wife and children must feel, because it sounds so hard. But our lives continue, people expect from me that I prepare them for everything.
“That sometimes feels a bit difficult, knowing how hard it is for the family, for the parents, who are in the phase they are still going through and will go through for the rest of their lives.”
On top of the Liverpool windfall, Jota’s family have another dutiful provider in the form of Rúben Neves. The former Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder played with his Portuguese compatriot for club and country, striking up a friendship which Neves is adamant will stretch beyond both their lives.
“Let’s keep laughing, dreaming, planning, sharing life together—wherever you are,” he wrote in a touching tribute to Jota. “I’ll make sure you’re always present. And I’ll make sure your loved ones never lack anything while you’re far away—thinking of us, waiting for us.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Not Normal’—Arne Slot Reveals Liverpool’s Financial Commitment to Diogo Jota’s Family.
