Jota's widow asks Robertson to carry his dream to the World Cup

Rute Cardoso has asked Scotland captain Andrew Robertson to take Diogo Jota into the World Cup with him, turning football’s biggest stage into a public act of private remembrance. The letter, published by FIFA as part of its Letters That Unite series, came with Scotland preparing for their first World Cup since 1998 and Robertson carrying the burden of qualification, memory and expectation at once.

Jota died aged 28 in a car crash last July alongside his brother Andre Silva. The Portugal forward won 49 caps and never played at a World Cup, having missed the 2022 tournament with a calf injury. During their years together at Liverpool from 2020 to 2025, Robertson and Jota had spoken about reaching the finals, a dream that had been delayed for both men in Qatar.

Robertson’s reaction after Scotland beat Denmark in November to qualify for the 2026 tournament made that bond plain. He said, “I couldn't get my mate Diogo Jota out of my head today,” and added, “We spoke so much about going to the World Cup because he missed the last one with Portugal and I did with Scotland. I know he'll be smiling over me today.” For a squad returning to the competition for the first time since 1998, the remark captured how qualification can carry personal as well as national weight.

Cardoso, the mother of Jota’s three children, wrote to Robertson that “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 told him, “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.”

She added that by reaching the tournament, Robertson would not 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 thanked Robertson for “not forgetting him” and said Jota “would be, and is, incredibly proud of you.”

Robertson said the letter would stay with him for a “very long time” and that he would carry Jota in his heart throughout the tournament. Scotland open their Group C campaign against Haiti on Sunday, then face Morocco on 19 June and Brazil on 24 June, with the World Cup running from 11 June to 19 July.