Holt described the trip as a “peregrinação” - a pilgrimage shaped by grief, family and celebration. The report says Greg loved football and festivities, so the family decided to experience the tournament in the way he would have wanted.
That means embracing the noise, color and togetherness surrounding Scotland, rather than keeping the anniversary locked in silence. The phrase “fazer tudo o que ele adoraria fazer” - doing everything Greg would have loved - gives the journey its emotional center.
The timing is especially poignant. The report says Scotland’s match against Brazil falls one day after the anniversary of Greg’s death, turning an already significant fixture into a deeply personal occasion.
Holt says his mother is not a major football fan, although she supports Scotland. Yet the atmosphere around the Tartan Army has helped her reconnect with the personality of the son she lost.
Among thousands of supporters, family memories can surface in unexpected ways: a song, a celebration, a shared laugh or the simple sight of people enjoying the game. That is the power of football in this story. It is not only the match itself, but the community built around it.
For Holt, the tournament offers both relief and sadness. He imagines Greg urging them to move forward, live in the moment and recognize that memories like these do not come along every day.
When Scotland face Brazil, Holt and his mother will carry Greg’s memory into one of football’s biggest gatherings. The result will matter to supporters, but the lasting outcome for this family will be the experience itself - a celebration of a life, shared in the place Greg would have loved to be.