Andy Robertson has revealed how the late Diogo Jota helped inspire him to qualify for the 2026 World Cup with Scotland.
Friends during their time at Liverpool, before Jota’s tragic passing earlier this year, the pair confided together after both missing out at Qatar 2022, with the Portuguese forward absent for the Selecao through injury and Scotland failing to reach the finals.
Scotland pulled off a dramatic 4-2 victory over Denmark at Hampden Park on Tuesday night after late goals from Kieran Tierney and Kenny McLean, securing a direct route to the USA, Canada and Mexico next summer.
And Robertson, who labelled the win “one of the greatest nights of my life,” revealed how Jota had been on his mind all day and that he was “in a bit of trouble”.
“It sums up this squad, never say die, we just keep going to the end, one of the craziest games of football, we put the country through it, but it’s worth it, we’re going to the World Cup, I can’t believe it,” Robertson told BBC Sport.
“It’s different [to achievements with Liverpool], today I’m in bits, the age I’m at, this is my last chance of a World Cup, I couldn’t get my mate, Diogo Jota, out of my head today, we spoke so much about the World Cup.
“When he missed out in Qatar due to injury, I missed out, because Scotland never went, we always discussed what it would be like to go to this World Cup, I know he’ll be somewhere smiling over me tonight, I couldn’t get him out of my head all day. I was in a bit of trouble in my room earlier, and I hid it well from the boys.
“I can’t wait to get down to Liverpool and share a red wine with your Dad [Kenny Dalglish]. He always spoke about World Cups. This group, this staff, it’s the best group I’ve been involved in. The manager’s speech in the hotel.
“He said, the big moments we had, Serbia was one of the best moments of my life. Ukraine was one of the toughest here. Qualifying for the Euros, couldn’t quite remember it, we were in a bar, then he said, let’s make it another one, he went into his life and stuff like that, we were quite emotional. It’ll go down as one of the greatest nights of my life.”
