Andy Robertson, captain of the Scottish national team, has read a letter written to him by Rute Cardoso, Diogo Jota's wife, in which she thanks Robertson for his friendship as he prepares to play in World Cup. "Thank you for not forgetting him. Thank you for taking him with you. Thank you for turning the pain of loss into strength and into something so beautiful. That's how we do it here at home too, every day. He would be and is incredibly proud of you."
When Jota and Robertson were teammates at Liverpool, they often talked about their shared dreams of playing in World Cup. Jota missed World Cup 2022 with Portugal due to injury, and Scotland did not qualify. Jota died in a car accident in July 2025, and his teammates in Portugal remembered him with a 27+1 World Cup squad.
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Now that Scotland qualified for a World Cup for the first time in 30 years, Robertson said he has been thinking a lot about his friend. Cardoso sent him a letter where she urged him to "cherish that dream and live it for both of them".
"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. 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.
"By achieving that moment and securing your place at the World Cup, you won't be going alone; you'll be taking his dream with you too. And when you step onto the pitch, I know it won't be just you walking out. Diogo will be with you in your thoughts, in your steps, in your heart."
Robertson, 32, has made over 90 appearances for Scotland since 2014. He has left Liverpool after nine years, and will join Tottenham Hotspur next season.