03/06/25, Diogo Jota unfortunately passed away in a fatal car crash, and his wife Rute Cordoso wrote this letter to his former teammate, Andrew Robertson.
Rute Cardoso wrote a very heart warming letter to former team mate of Jota, Andrew Robertson as the Scott prepares for his upcoming World Cup in the USA.
She said:
“Andy, I’m writing to you with a heart full of longing gratitude and above all pride. Diogo (Jota) 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 FIFA 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 FIFA World Cup after so many years of waiting, I realised that Diogo never truly left the pitch.
By achieving that moment and securing your place at the FIFA World Cup, you won’t be going alone; you’ll be taking his dream with you too and 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.”
Rute Cardoso can’t thank Robertson enough for being that perfect teammate to Jota, always being there for Diogo and always remembering Jota and being a big help for the family and want’s Robertson to fully live his World Cup dream with Scotland.
She added: “So today I want to thank you. 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. That’s how we do it here at home too, every day. He would be — and is — incredibly proud of you. Cherish that dream, Andy. Live it for yourself and for him. With love, gratitude and all my support, Rute Cardoso.”
Andrew Robertson was amazed by the heart whelming letter by Cardoso and can’t explain how good of a person Rute is and how much the letter means to him, with the fact that letter will always remain by his side forever.
Speaking with FIFA, Robertson said: “It’s obviously amazing of Rute to even take the time, you know, for what she’s going through, to write me a letter — but it just sums up the person that she is. Thankfully, I got to know her and the amazing times that they had. Obviously, I’d been to their wedding, celebrated trophies with her and Jots.
But yeah, and obviously I’ve seen how heartbroken we all were, but in particular her, when obviously Jots left us. Just, thank you. That letter, you know, will stay with me for a very long time. And we’ve just got to carry him with us. We will always make sure that his name will never be forgotten, that his memories will always be cherished like Rute says in there — the dreams that we’d shared of trying to be at the FIFA World Cup.
Obviously, the 2022 FIFA World Cup was when me and Jots really became close. He missed out because of injury. Obviously, Scotland never qualified.
And I think we just spoke so much about what it would mean to us both to be at the next FIFA World Cup, and that was the aim for both of us: to get to America. And, yeah, obviously, I’m just gutted that, you know, that was taken away from him. But I think, you know, obviously I’ll carry him in my heart, and I know he’ll be with me come the first game, come the second game, come the third game, and, you know, hopefully beyond that.
And, yeah, he’s always there. He’s always something we think about. The memories are always something that we bring up and sometimes laugh, sometimes cry. And, you know, I think that will be no different — especially going into a tournament which is full of emotion. I know he’ll be right at the front of my mind. And, yeah, but I’m not only just playing for me, I’m playing for both of us.”
Diogo Jota will forever be missed dearly within the football community and remembered fondly. Gone but never forgotten.
WATCH: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_zhL2HJtJY&t=31s