As he prepares to leave Liverpool, Andy Robertson reflects on the tight-knit bond of Klopp’s golden era and why certain teammates deserved more spotlight.
Anfield will prepare a tearful, thunderous goodbye this Sunday but before Andy Robertson walks out of the tunnel one last time as a Liverpool player, he has a few final words for the city he came to call home.
In an emotional, exclusive interview with the Liverpool Echo, the iconic Scottish left-back opened up on his impending departure at the end of the season, reflecting on a trophy-laden journey that transformed him from an £8 million bargain into a certified club legend.
Robertson, whose relentless energy and fierce passion came to define the finest eras of modern Liverpool success, admitted that saying goodbye to the Kop will be the toughest 90 minutes of his career.
He said, “This is one of the biggest clubs in the world. This club is unique. For me, when you step away, it is always going to be difficult. I have not felt it yet but I will be aware of it soon enough. You will always miss it.
“Of course you will. But it is also about finding happiness elsewhere, which a lot of people have shown can be done. For me, some of them who you mention maybe felt they still had more to give to Liverpool.’
From Madrid to magic nights: A legacy etched in European folklore
The Scottish captain has experienced a plethora of famous nights at Anfield. His journey spans from a chaotic, statement-making 4-3 victory over Manchester City during his debut 2017/18 campaign, all the way to last year’s emotional title-winning match over Tottenham Hotspur, which saw players and supporters partying well into the Mersey night.
Perhaps the most difficult part of this journey to walk away from for the 32-year-old is the famous European nights on Merseyside.
These evenings have long been entwined with the very fabric of the club. While Liverpool haven’t had quite as much to cheer about in continental competitions in recent years, those special, European nights under Jürgen Klopp showcased exactly what his team was all about.
Among those memories, Robertson’s infamous, aggressive push of Lionel Messi’s head has gone down in folklore within the fanbase. It was just another aggressive cog in the machine that helped Liverpool destroy Barcelona 4-0 in the Champions League semi-finals, completing one of the most extraordinary comebacks to ever grace world football.
What made that night even more legendary was the context; much of the talk prior to the match focused heavily on devastating injuries to Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah. Yet, under Klopp, adversity breeds heroes. Xherdan Shaqiri and Divock Origi stepped into the starting lineup, and they made their impact felt immediately.
As one of the most recognisable and beloved figures of the past nine years, there is absolutely no chance the £8 million signing from Hull City will be allowed to slip away quietly.
Robertson openly admits he is “gutted” that his time on Merseyside is drawing to a close acknowledging that “everyone’s gutted when you leave Liverpool” but his overriding emotion is one of immense pride. He overcame early career insecurities to firmly cement his name into Anfield folklore, completing what can only be described as an extraordinary ride.
“We were on the most amazing journey ever, all together,” Robertson reflects. “When we started out Mo Salah didn’t sign as the best player in the world or the best winger in the world.
Virgil van Dijk had the potential to be but wasn’t the best centre-back in the world. Alisson wasn’t the best goalkeeper in the world. Trent [Alexander-Arnold] wasn’t the best right-back in the world. Hendo [Jordan Henderson] was still trying to find his feet as captain.”
“We were all just on this journey from the bottom to the very top together, and climbing that mountain was the best feeling ever.”
“Every day we came in knowing we were getting better and better and starting to click as a team. We’d beat teams in the tunnel. Genuinely. When I speak to my Scotland teammates, they were lining up in the tunnel and looking over thinking: ‘We’re going to need to run our socks off today to get anything.’ And more often than not they didn’t get anything.”
“We had an unbelievable environment to express ourselves, to play with freedom, but in our minds we knew we had to work at 100%. That was obviously from the manager, from the coaches, and I think then all the staff and people behind the scenes bought into it and you had the whole training ground determined to achieve all our dreams. Everyone was on the same page and we just made magical things happen thankfully.”
The unsung heroes of the Klopp era
Everyone had a role to play under the German boss. Looking back, Robertson was quick to confirm that there were special players at the club who played massive parts in that golden era, even if they don’t always get the spotlight shined on them as much as they should.
“I look back on my nine years and I know I have given absolutely everything,” Robertson reflected. “I think of Ox (Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain) – his frustration was the injuries that he had.
“We can all agree, before that Roma injury (in 2018), he was our best player at that moment in time, the one who was driving us forward. He was the best player at that crucial point of the season in midfield.”
The English midfielder had scored a decisive, thunderbolt goal earlier in that same 2018 competition against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, firing a ferocious effort past Ederson that made the Kop go wild. Unfortunately, those moments became few and far between due to that devastating knee injury against Roma, from which he never truly returned to his absolute best.
Robertson also noted that there were other teammates of his who started to decline towards the end of their time on Merseyside for multiple different reasons, ranging from recurring injuries to the simple reality of ageing.
“Adam Lallana was the same when I came. Ads had a few injuries and he couldn’t quite get back to that level he had been at in 2015/16,” Robertson noted.
“Hendo (Jordan Henderson) left at a similar age to me. These things happen. We have spoken about it, but it is just about enjoying the time you have had at Liverpool, and we still talk about the stories from then.”
Finding happiness after Liverpool
However, since leaving the Anfield fishbowl, those same teammates have gone on to find immense success in their own right. Oxlade-Chamberlain just celebrated winning the Scottish Premier League title with Celtic last weekend. Meanwhile, former captain Jordan Henderson is currently starring in a high-flying Brentford side pushing for European football for the first time in their history.
As Robertson prepares to take his own next step, the Scotsman hopes a similar, fulfilling final chapter is in store for him.
“It goes to show you can still achieve things at another club after leaving here and find happiness elsewhere.”
As one chapter closes on a time full of immense success from both an individual and collective standpoint, another will inevitably open. There is absolutely no doubt that Kopites worldwide would love to see Robertson find that happiness elsewhere, after providing them with an abundance of it for the last nine years.
ReadLiverpoolFC Verdict
It is going to be incredibly strange to look at the Liverpool team sheet next season and not see Andrew Robertson’s name occupying the left-back slot. Signed for a modest £8 million from Hull City back in 2017, “Robbo” didn’t just fill a position that had plagued Liverpool for a decade he redefined it.
His assessment of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is incredibly classy and spot-on; it serves as a reminder of how tight-knit that Champions League and Premier League-winning squad truly was. Robertson represents the very soul of the Klopp era: hard work, humility, a bit of dark arts when required (sorry, Lionel), and world-class quality.
Hearing him talk about finding happiness elsewhere shows a veteran player who is at peace with his decision. He has given everything to the red shirt. Whichever club lands him next is getting a serial winner and an incredible leader.
