Andy Robertson honestly didn’t look like someone who had his emotions together after Scotland’s 4–2 win over Denmark, which secured their World Cup qualification. He later admitted he had not. He said he’d been kind of shaky all day, trying to act normal around the boys, but according to him, it just wasn’t working. Something about the day felt heavier than usual, and he couldn’t shake it even before kick-off.
A lot of it came back to Jota. When they were still teammates at Liverpool, he and Jota used to talk randomly sometimes on long trips, sometimes in the gym, about how they both wanted to play in a World Cup.
But things didn’t go right in 2022. Jota missed the World Cup because of that injury he picked up, and Scotland didn’t qualify either. Robertson said it was one of those shared disappointments.
Then came the tragedy, which hit even harder. Jota and his brother, André Silva, died in a car crash in the Zamora area of Spain, while they were actually on their way back to Liverpool for pre-season. So when Scotland finally got their first World Cup ticket since 1998, Robertson said Jota was the first person that flashed through his thoughts. In the post-match interview which was posted by the Premier League via their official X account.
View the post below:
Robertson, who recently cleared the air about his future at Liverpool, as reported by Softfootball, said he hoped Jota was smiling down on him and the lads. He tripped over his words a little, as if he was trying not to let everything spill out right then.
It wasn’t just Robertson. On the international stage, Jota’s memory is being honoured in a big way. As recently reported by Softfootball, Portugal’s manager Roberto Martínez has called on his squad to carry Jota’s legacy into their campaign, emphasising motivation, unity and responsibility.
