Article by Tudor Belivacă – Published Monday, 08 June 2026, 22:50 / Updated Monday, 08 June 2026 22:50
Diogo Jota's widow Rute Cardoso has written an emotional letter to Scotland captain Andy Robertson. FIFA published a video in which the Scot reads the text. The ex-Liverpool defender, visibly moved, also offered a brief reaction immediately.
Rute Cardoso asked the former Liverpool player to live the dream of the 2026 World Cup on behalf of his former team-mate from the “Cormorants” camp, who tragically died last summer in a road accident in which Andre Silva, brother of Diogo Jota, also lost his life. Robertson and Jota were very good friends and their dream of playing in a final world tour together was a recurring topic of conversation between the two.
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The message comes after Robertson dedicated Scotland's World Cup qualification, their first since 1998, to his late friend. Immediately after the 4-2 decider win over Denmark, the defender revealed that Diogo Jota had been his motivation throughout the build-up to that moment.
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Diogo Jota didn't get a chance to play in a world final tournament. He has been left out of Portugal's 2022 World Cup squad due to injury.
Rute Cardoso, emotional letter to Andy Robertson: “Thank you for taking Diogo with you”
“I am writing to you with a heart full of gratitude and, above all, pride. Diogo often spoke of you. Of the friendship you built, of the battles you fought together, the challenges, the laughs, the football talks… and the dreams.
The World Championship was one of those dreams, a dream you two nurtured, side by side, with the same passion with which you enter the field. When I heard your words and learned how you felt that day Scotland qualified for the World Cup after so many years of waiting, I understood that Diogo never really left the pitch.
Securing your place at the World Cup, you won't be going alone. You will take his dream with you. And when you enter the field, I know that it will not be only you who steps, Diogo will be with you, in your thoughts, in your steps, in your heart. Thank you for not forgetting it. Thank you for taking Diogo 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. Cherish this dream, Andy. Live it for you and for him,” was Rute Cardoso's emotional message, according to abola.pt.
Andy Robertson responded immediately in the video: “It's obviously incredible that Rute, with everything going on, took the time to write me a letter, but that sums up the person she is. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to meet her and hear about the fantastic times they had together.
At the 2022 World Cup me and Diogo became really close. We talked a lot about what it would mean for us to be at the next World Cup and that was the goal for both of us. I will carry him in my heart and I know he will be with me in the first, second, third game and hopefully beyond. I don't just play for me, I play for both of ussaid Andy Robertson.
