Scotland captain Andy Robertson, 32, says he will carry Diogo Jota’s World Cup dream when he leads his country in Group C this month. Robertson made the pledge after reading a letter from Jota’s widow, Rute Cardoso, published by FIFA on Monday as part of its ‘Letters That Unite’ feature.
Jota died aged 28 in a car accident in July last year. His brother André Silva died in the same crash. The two men had been Liverpool teammates for five seasons.
Cardoso told Robertson that the two men had shared a vision of playing at the World Cup together. “The World Cup was one of those dreams, a dream that the two of you nurtured side by side with the same passion with which you took to the pitch,” she wrote.
She said Robertson’s post-match words after Scotland qualified had stayed with her. “When I heard your words and learnt what you felt on that day when Scotland qualified for the World Cup after so many years of waiting, I realised that Diogo never truly left the pitch.”
Cardoso closed with a direct message to Robertson. “You won’t be going alone. You’ll be taking his dream with you too.”
Scotland sealed qualification in November with a 4-2 win over Denmark in Glasgow, their first World Cup appearance in 28 years. Robertson had spoken pitch-side of Jota immediately after the final whistle. “I couldn’t get my mate Diogo Jota out of my head today,” he told BBC Scotland that night.
After reading Cardoso’s letter, Robertson said the tribute deepened his sense of purpose. “I’m not only just playing for me, I’m playing for both of us,” he said.
Scotland begin their Group C campaign against Haiti in Boston on 14 June. They then face Morocco on 19 June before a final group match against Brazil in Miami on 24 June.
