Andy Robertson has vowed to play for tragic former Liverpool teammate Jota at the World Cup, after receiving an emotional letter from his wife Rute Cardoso.
The Scotland captain and his club teammates were rocked last year by the passing of the Portugal forward, 28, after he was involved in a car crash with his brother Andre Silva, who also sadly died.
Robertson has previously told how it was a huge shared dream of the pair's to play at the 2026 World Cup. The left-back will be there with Scotland after his pal had that cruelly taken from him.
As part of FIFA’s "Letters That Unite", he received the letter from Rute as she urged him to go out and live the dream of both he and Jota.
It read: “Andy I’m writing to you with a heart full of longing gratitude and above all pride.
“Diogo (Jota) 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. 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.
“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.
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“Cherish that dream, Andy. Live it for yourself and for him. With love, gratitude and all my support, Rute Cardoso.”
After reading the letter, Robertson 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. Obviously, I’d been to their wedding, celebrated trophies with her and Jots (Diogo Jota).
"And then obviously I’ve seen how heartbroken we all were, but in particular her, when obviously Jots left us. Just, thank you. That letter will stay with me for a very long time.
“And we’ve just got to carry him with us. We will always make sure that his name will never be forgotten, that his memories will always be cherished like Rute says in there, the dreams that we’d shared of trying to be at the World Cup.
“Obviously, I think (the) 2022 World Cup was when me and Jots really became close. He missed out because of injury. Obviously, Scotland never qualified.
“And I think we just spoke so much about what it would mean to us both to be at the next World Cup, and that was the aim for both of us, to get to America.
“And obviously, I’m just gutted that was taken away from him.
“Butbviously 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. He’s always something we think about. The memories are always something that we bring up and sometimes laugh, sometimes cry.
“And I think 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.”
