ANDY ROBERSTON HAS revealed that his first day at Liverpool didn’t exactly go to plan as the Scottish full-back vomited all over the training ground during his medical.
Robertson joined Liverpool from Hull City in 2017 and, in the two seasons since, has proven to be one of the best left-backs in world football.
He racked up 11 Premier League assists this season while helping guide the Reds to a second consecutive Champions League final. And, looking back, Robertson says the original decision to join Liverpool was a no-brainer, one that he acted upon as quickly as possible.
“When I got the chance to play in the Premier League with Hull City in 2014, I had lived a lot of real life,” Robertson wrote in The Players’ Tribune.
“My ambitions were always to be a solid SPL player. When I was landscaping and emptying the bins, I didn’t think I’d ever be playing Champions League football, especially for Liverpool.
“It’s funny, actually … a few clubs called when I was in preseason with Hull in 2017, but I wasn’t really that interested. My missus was pregnant, and we were in the process of getting everything ready for our big arrival — that was our top priority, like any expectant parents.
“Then I heard Liverpool wanted me. Liverpool. When you hear Liverpool want you, you call your agent back in about five seconds. I couldn’t sign the contract fast enough, to be honest.”
However, Robertson’s first session at Melwood proved a difficult one, and Robertson admits he wasn’t exactly confident at the start. It was Jurgen Klopp who gave him that confidence, he said, even after the defender vomited on his first day as a Liverpool player.
“The medical took two days, and it was brutal. My diet was weird because the medical staff had to do so many tests to make sure I was fit and was going to stay fit,” he said.
After I passed those tests, I had to go to Melwood to do a lactate test. I was running it with Danny Ings, and after a few laps around the pitch, I felt something going on with my stomach. I knew things were going to get bad, but what can you do? I just kept running. A few minutes later, I’m on my knees, puking my guts out on the Melwood pitch.
“This hallowed ground. This place where all these legends have trained. King Kenny. Rushie. Stevie Gerrard. And here I am, some wee lad from Glasgow, spewing up in front of the Liverpool medical staff. If first appearances count, God knows what they thought about me.
“The next day, I met the manager and I heard his laugh from a mile away. He’d obviously heard about my test. I turn around and he’s walking toward me, rubbing his belly and pointing at me. The staff behind him are having a laugh, too. Then he gave me a big hug. After that, I relaxed a bit.”
Now, less than two years after that day, Robertson looks set to start his second consecutive Champions League final as Liverpool face Spurs in Madrid on Saturday.
Subscribe to our new podcast, The42 Rugby Weekly, here:
