Jota's wife writes to Robertson: 'You'll be taking his dream with you' at the World Cup

Rute Cardoso, the widow of Diogo Jota, has written a deeply personal letter to Andy Robertson as the Scotland captain prepares to lead his country at the World Cup this summer — telling him he will not be walking onto the pitch alone.

The letter, published as part of FIFA’s ‘Letters That Unite’ series, arrives months after Jota’s sudden death last summer left the football world in shock. Robertson, who had attended Jota’s wedding to Cardoso just 11 days before his passing, was among those closest to the Portuguese forward during their time together at Liverpool.

“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,” Cardoso wrote. “The FIFA World Cup was one of those dreams. When I heard your words and learnt what you felt on that day when Scotland qualified after so many years of waiting, I realised that Diogo never truly left the pitch.”

Cardoso continued: “By achieving that moment, you won’t be going alone; you’ll be taking his dream with you too. 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. 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. He would be and is incredibly proud of you.”

Robertson was visibly emotional on the Hampden Park pitch when Scotland sealed their World Cup qualification against Denmark in November, a moment that clearly carried the weight of Jota’s absence. The left-back, who has since departed Liverpool for Tottenham, responded to the letter by acknowledging how much it meant to him.

“It’s amazing of Rute to take the time, for what she’s going through, to write me a letter,” Robertson said. “But it just sums up the person that she is. I’d been to their wedding, celebrated trophies with her and Jots. Then I saw how heartbroken we all were, but in particular her, when Jots left us. That letter will stay with me for a very long time. And we’ve got to carry him.”

Jota would almost certainly have featured for Portugal at the tournament had he still been alive. Scotland begin their World Cup campaign against Haiti.