Ex-Aston Villa midfielder Jota's wife ends marriage over alleged infidelity

Ajla Etemovic has publicly announced the breakdown of her marriage to former Aston Villa midfielder Jota, alleging the retired footballer was unfaithful. The couple wed in 2024 and share a son, Malik, together.

Speaking on Spanish television programme ¡De viernes!, Etemovic said information had emerged that other people were involved in their relationship. “There are things that can’t happen in a marriage,” she said, as relayed by ¡Hola!. “Information has come out that there were other people involved in our relationship; these are the acts of disrespect I’m referring to.”

Etemovic, a model, said she had not witnessed infidelity directly but had seen messages on Jota’s phone that she found deeply troubling. “I’ve seen things on his phone that prove he was having an extramarital affair,” she said. “They were terrible messages about our relationship — he said he wanted to leave me, laughing at me, planning to divorce me, and having sexual conversations while I was at home taking care of Malik and supporting him.”

Reflecting on the marriage itself, she added: “I thought he was a good husband. He was very good at the beginning, but he had many problems, and I kept waiting for him to improve, but instead of getting better, he got worse. This marriage is over.”

Jota, whose full name is Jorge Sáenz de Miera Larrea, made 10 Premier League appearances for Aston Villa during the 2019/20 season after a controversial switch from city rivals Birmingham City, where he reunited with former Brentford manager Dean Smith. The Spanish midfielder’s final professional club was Deportivo Alavés in La Liga, and he officially retired in October 2022 at the age of 31.

Since leaving football, the 34-year-old has built a significant business profile as founder and chief executive of agricultural technology company GROINN, which has been projected to reach a valuation of approximately £3 billion.

Jota was previously married to model Jessica Bueno from 2015 to 2022, with whom he has two children.