Diogo Jota's widow, Rute Cardoso, has written an emotional letter to Scotland captain Andy Robertson, urging him to fulfill the World Cup dream he shared with her late husband, the former Liverpool forward.
Scotland's historic qualification
Robertson led Scotland to their first World Cup qualification since 1998 after a victory over Denmark. Immediately after the match, he spoke of Jota, who died in a road accident last summer at the age of 28, along with his brother Andre Silva.
Jota's influence on Robertson
The pair had often discussed their ambition to reach the World Cup finals while training together during the 2022 tournament, when Jota missed out on Portugal's squad due to injury. Robertson, visibly emotional, expressed his sorrow that Jota would not be there to share the moment.
The letter from Rute Cardoso
In a letter published by FIFA, Cardoso, mother of Jota's three children, wrote: "I am writing to you with a heart full of longing, gratitude and, above all, pride. Diogo often spoke of you. Of the friendship you built, the battles you fought together, the challenges, the laughter, the conversations about football... and about dreams. 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 continued: "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 on to the pitch, I know it won't just be you walking out, Diogo will be with you in your thoughts, in your steps, in your heart."
Cardoso added: "So today, I want to thank you. 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. Cherish that dream, Andy. Live it for yourself and for him."
Robertson's response
Robertson, who is set to join Tottenham this summer, was captured on camera reading the letter aloud. He said: "It's obviously amazing of Rute to even take the time, for what she's going through, to write me a letter, but it just sums up the person that she is. Thankfully, I got to know her and the amazing times that they had. That letter will stay with me for a very long time."
The 32-year-old added: "I'll carry him in my heart and I know he'll be with me come the first game, come the second game, come the third game and hopefully beyond that. He's always there. The memories are always something that we bring up and sometimes laugh, sometimes cry. And that will be no different, especially going into a tournament which is full of emotion. I know he'll be right at the front of my mind. I'm not only just playing for me, I'm playing for both of us."
