Robbo’s got the world at his feet
ANDY ROBERTSON set his sights on ending a dream year on top of the world as he aims to become a Liverpool history maker.
The Scotland skipper, left, has helped the Reds storm to a double-digit lead in the Premier League as they chase a first English title in 30 years.
And now Champions League
ANDY ROBERTSON will be helped in his bid for global glory in Qatar this week by the world’s best coach and some of the biggest superstars in the game.
But while these days it might be Jurgen Klopp, Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk assisting him he will never forget the role of the likes of John Rankin and Paul Paton on his journey to the very top.
Robertson is aiming to add a FIFA World Club Cup medal to the Champions League gong he won last season and with the title odds on to follow as Liverpool storm ahead in Premier League. Success in Doha would be yet another chapter in the Scotland skipper’s incredible career as he looks to go where no Reds side has before in becoming the No.1 club in the world.
As Robertson took time out to sit down with Record Sport ahead of tonight’s semi-final against Mexicans Monterrey, members of Liverpool’s squad wandered around the lobby of their plush five-star base in Qatar.
The 25-year-old admitted such team-mates make life on the pitch easier but Robertson was keen to acknowledge the role of less-heralded former dressing-room pals, particularly following his move from Queen’s Park to Tannadice in 2013.
He said: “I’ve got world-class players around me and if they tell me something, or the manager tells me something, I’ll take it on board.
“But I’ve always been like that and at Dundee United the likes of John Rankin was massive for me because he effectively talked me through games in my first three months.
“A lot of people said I was always attacking at United but I couldn’t have done that if John wasn’t covering the left-back position!
“Maybe he didn’t get the credit he deserved but I certainly appreciated his advice and I am the player I am now because of people like John.
“Some young lads nowadays can think the old boys are on their case and shy away from it but I wanted John and Paul Paton to tell me my negatives.
“I would say to myself, ‘They think I need to do this so I’ll show them in the next game’ and I’ve always respected players’ opinions.
“I probably get a lot more stick off James Milner now than I did off Rank!
“Look, we’ve repeatedly said it, me and Trent (Alexander-Arnold), we’re always bombing forward and putting crosses in. But it’s not possible without the midfield and sometimes they have to cover us because the space is out wide. It’s maybe not the prettiest of jobs but that’s what makes our team tick and I feel as if everyone in this squad is appreciated.
“We all have our roles and we all know it. We let them go forward on occasion but usually they are trying to cover us and that’s how we get crosses into the box in this system.”
Robertson and his team-mates are spending this week more than 4000 miles away from their families and won’t return to Merseyside until just three days before Christmas Day.
It is just another of the sacrifices made by Robertson, who has a two-year-old son Rocco and 10-month-old daughter Aria, in becoming one of the best left-backs on the world.
He said: “For us this is a great opportunity out here but a lot of us have got a bit of stick from our families back home, including the staff ! We fly back two nights b e f o r e
Christmas and that’s tough especially for those of us with young kids but it’s what we need to do and it’s what we get paid very well to do.
“We want to try to win the trophy but it is tough. The presents, you can do online, that’s fine but it’s more the quality time with your family that’s the issue and the stuff that you’re missing out on.
“Luckily we have understanding partners and my kids are too young to hold a grudge against me. We couldn’t do it without our partners – we also know with this job we can be away quite a lot but we are trying to create history.
“When I was younger I was always someone who wouldn’t go out with my mates if I had a game the next day and there were times when I wanted to go out. I missed out on a lot of birthdays, missed out on a lot of big occasions. All of my family’s happiest occasions in the last five or six years have been coming to watch me and I don’t get to see them.
“They all have big days out at Scotland games, Champions League finals and I’m the one playing in a high-pressured match. Maybe a day later they are talking about it all and I’m stuck in my bed sleeping.
“But these are the things I want. I believe I’ve given my friends and my family fantastic memories by going to two Champions Leagues, to Scottish Cup finals, by going to Scotland games so for me that’s the happiness.
“These things seem small but missing out on your best pal’s 18th birthday or whatever was quite big. Maybe people don’t understand why you would be doing that but my goal was always the same, ‘I want to become a professional and I’m willing to put everything into it’ and if it doesn’t work out I will catch up on the nights out.”