Scotland captain Andy Robertson announced that he would be playing for former Liverpool colleague Diogo Jota in the World Cup following a letter from the late Portuguese forward’s widow ahead of the competition.
Robertson claimed that as soon as Scotland qualified for the World Cup in November, his thoughts drifted to Jota, who passed away in a car crash last July at the age of 28.
According to Football 365, Robertson posted a note from Rute Cardoso, Jota’s widow on Monday as part of FIFA’s “Letters That Unite” segment.
Letter From Rute
“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 letter read.
“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.
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“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.”
After reading the letter, Robertson said Jota would be at the front of his mind when he leads Scotland at their first World Cup in 28 years.
“I’m not only just playing for me, I’m playing for both of us,” he added.
Scotland will clash with Haiti in their opening Group C campaign in Boston on June 13 before taking on Morocco and Brazil.
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