June 9 (Reuters) - Scotland captain Andy Robertson said he will be playing for former Liverpool teammate Diogo Jota at the World Cup after receiving a letter from the late Portuguese forward's widow ahead of the tournament.
After Scotland sealed World Cup qualification in November, Robertson had said his thoughts immediately turned to Jota, who died aged 28 in a car accident last July.
On Monday, Robertson shared a message from Rute Cardoso as part of FIFA's 'Letters That Unite' feature.
"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.
"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 open their Group C campaign against Haiti in Boston on June 13 before taking on Morocco and Brazil.
(Reporting by Rishabh Jaiswal in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
