Andy Robertson
Andrew Henry Robertson is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a left-back for club Liverpool and captains the Scotland national team. He is also the vice-captain of Liverpool.
Robertson began his senior career in 2012 with one season at then amateur Queen's Park. In his season at Dundee United, he was runner up in the 2013–14 Scottish Cup. He was named PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year and in the PFA Scotland Team of the Year, before joining Premier League side Hull City in July 2014 for a fee of £2.85 million. Robertson was relegated, promoted and then relegated again in his three seasons at Hull City.
Robertson joined Liverpool in July 2017 for an undisclosed fee, believed to be an initial £8 million. His honours with Liverpool include the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League, the 2019–20 Premier League, the 2019 UEFA Super Cup, the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup and a 2021–22 season EFL Cup and FA Cup domestic double. The 2022 FA Community Shield win meant he had won once each at that stage, the complete set of all seven first tier trophies available to Liverpool. He has since won a second EFL Cup and Premier League title with Liverpool.
Robertson was named in the PFA Team of the Year in 2018–19 and 2019–20. His first UEFA individual award was inclusion in their 2018 Champions League breakthrough team. UEFA also named him in both their Champions League Squad of the Season and their fans' Team of the Year in 2019. He was again named in their Champions League Team of the Season for the 2021–22 season.
Robertson made his full Scotland debut in May 2014. He was appointed Scotland captain in September 2018, leading his country at UEFA Euro 2020 and Euro 2024. With 90 caps, Robertson is currently the third-highest capped player to play for the Scotland men's national team, and since June 2024, he also holds the record for the most caps as Scotland men's national team captain. In November 2025, on his 90th cap, Robertson captained his country to a first World Cup since 1998 in a famous 4–2 victory against Denmark.
Early life and career
Robertson was born in Glasgow to parents Brian and Pauline. He has an elder brother named Stephen. He is of Irish descent via his Glenfarne-born grandmother.Brian grew up on Maryhill's Wyndford estate. A tenacious amateur player nicknamed "Pop" after Pop Robson, Brian was a childhood friend of footballers Jim Duffy and Charlie Nicholas. However a spinal injury required Brian to wear a back brace, preventing a sporting career. Robertson later said of Stephen as an amateur footballer, "He didn’t move much, he was a bit of a static striker but scored a lot of goals."
Robertson attended St Ninian's High School in Giffnock, East Renfrewshire, from 2006 to 2012. There he captained the football team. He was also the junior captain of his local golf club in Glasgow.
Robertson played for Giffnock Soccer Centre, and then joined the youth set up at Celtic, the team he supported as a boy. Celtic Head of Youth, Chris McCart, then released him aged 15 in 2009, considering him too small. That was despite John Gallagher who had coached Robertson at under-14 and under-15, lobbying for Robertson.
Club career
Queen's Park
Gallagher recommended Robertson to Queen's Park, located conveniently for Robertson and his family in Glasgow's South side. In their youth setup he was nurtured by key figures such as head of youth David McCallum and technical director Andy McGlennan, who encouraged Robertson's switch to left-back from a more advanced position.Manager Gardner Speirs called Robertson up to the Queen's Park first team at the start of season 2012–13. On 28 July 2012, 18-year-old Robertson made his senior football debut. That was in Queen's Park's Scottish Challenge Cup penalty shoot out win at Berwick Rangers. The match attendance was 372. He scored his first senior goal when losing 2–1 at home to East Stirlingshire on 13 November 2012.
Queen's Park were still an amateur club at the time, so players were only paid expenses. Robertson posted on social media in August 2012, "Life at this age is rubbish with no money. #needajob." As a part-time footballer, Robertson trained/played 3 evenings per week plus Saturday afternoons. Robertson did work as a telephone service recipient for ticket bookings at Hampden Park where Queen's Park were based. At lunch time he used the gym facilities there to bulk up. He took a part-time Christmas job on the tills at Marks and Spencer on Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow. He also did landscaping work. He later commented on that season with Queen's Park, "I did apply for a couple of uni courses, but by the January or February of the season I knew at the end of the season there was going to be at least two options of full-time football. I knew I could put that on the backburner and I was at least going to have a crack at it." Robertson's career plan should he have followed his brother in studying at university, was to teach PE.
Rangers having gone into administration the season before, had been placed in the same division as Queen's Park that season; the lowest of Scotland's four men's senior football divisions. Robertson later commented, "we also played at a full Ibrox – 50,000 – and it was a great experience. We got beaten 2–0 but it was tight until the 87th minute. I missed a glorious chance which I’m always reminded of by old team-mates."
Robertson made 43 appearances that season, more than any other player in the squad. Queen's Park finished third in the 2012–13 Scottish Third Division, qualifying for the end of season play-offs. Queen's Park lost the home first leg 1–0 to a second-half stoppage time, Peterhead penalty by Andy Rodgers. Lawrence Shankland scored the 87th minute Queen's Park goal, losing the away leg 3–1.
Dundee United
19-year-old Robertson and his Queen's Park teammate Aidan Connolly, signed for Scottish Premiership side Dundee United on 3 June 2013. Robertson replaced departing Barry Douglas, who had made the same move three years earlier. Having had requests ignored for a transfer fee for Douglas, Queen's Park protested at the prospect of more players departing to United for free. The two clubs agreed a deal involving a percentage of future transfers, later benefiting Queen's with £300 000.Jackie McNamara was Robertson's manager at Dundee United. Robertson later remarked, "Jackie McNamara had been a great full-back and he helped me." Robertson later also said John Rankin, "effectively talked me through games in my first three months." Rankin also conscientiously covered the spaces left when Robertson went on an attacking run.
Robertson debuted for United in an opening day of the league season 0–0 draw at Partick Thistle. On 22 September 2013, Robertson scored his first Dundee United goal, drawing 2–2 at home with Motherwell. He ran from his own half before sending a low left-foot drive in to the goal from 22 yards. Soon afterwards he agreed a new contract with United, until May 2016. He was voted SPFL young player of the month for September 2013 and player of the month for November 2013.
As well as Robertson, other recent and/or future full Scotland internationalists in that 2013–14 Dundee United squad were Stuart Armstrong, Gary Mackay-Steven, Mark Wilson, Ryan Gauld and John Souttar. On 12 April 2014, Robertson played in the Scottish Cup 3–1 semi-final win versus Rangers at Ibrox. Armstrong and Mackay-Steven scored, as did Nadir Çiftçi. In April 2014, Robertson won the PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year award, and was named in the PFA Scotland Team of the Year for the 2013–14 Scottish Premiership. Robertson and United finished the season fourth best team in the league in Scotland.
His last appearance for United was in the 2014 Scottish Cup Final. With the score at 0–0, Ryan Dow's flicked volley hit the post from Robertson's first time cross into the penalty area. St Johnstone won 2–0.
Hull City
Aged 20, on 29 July 2014 Robertson signed a three-year contract with English Premier League club Hull City. The transfer fee was £2.85 million. Hull City's chief scout, Stan Ternent, explained, "I'd been looking at Stuart Armstrong but was the no brainer … he'd a history with Celtic and he was always a determined lad given how he'd recovered from his setbacks. You could see straight away he had ability and he can only get better."Robertson made a goal-line clearance debuting on the opening day of the 2014–15 Premier League season. Hull won 1–0 at Queens Park Rangers. That August he was Hull's Player of the Month. He made 24 Hull appearances that season, all in the league. Hull finished 18th in the 20 team division that season, for relegation to the Championship. Hatem Ben Arfa predicted of his relegated Hull teammates, "There’s one who can be super, super, super good … and that’s Robertson."
Robertson scored the opener for his first Hull goal on 3 November 2015 at Brentford. That 2–0 win put Hull top of the Championship table. He started the 2016 Championship play-off final against Sheffield Wednesday. Hull won 1–0 for promotion to the Premier League. Robertson played in 52 Hull games in all competitions that season.
Hull spent one season back in the top flight before being relegated at the end of the 2016–17 season. Like two years before, they finished 18th in the 20 team division. He played in 39 Hull league and cup games that season.
Robertson and fellow Hull defender Harry Maguire were recommended by Everton scout Steve Walsh to transfer in a combined £20 million deal, but Everton rejected the proposal.
Liverpool
2017–2019
Aged 23, Robertson on 21 July 2017 signed a long-term deal with Jürgen Klopp managed Liverpool. The fee was an initial £8 million. Kevin Stewart went to Hull City at the same time for almost the same amount, in what has been described as a swap deal in all but name.On 19 August, Robertson debuted for Liverpool in a 1–0 league win over Crystal Palace. Robertson won the Man of the Match award.
Robertson started the 2017–18 season as Alberto Moreno's understudy. Moreno had a bright start to the season, meaning Robertson played only two further games before December. Moreno then injured his ankle, opening the first team opportunity for Robertson to grab on 2 December. Liverpool that day won 5–1 at home in the league against Brighton and Hove Albion.
Robertson's 70-yard pressing run late in his man of the match performance, in a 4–3 win against league leaders Manchester City, on 14 January 2018 went viral with Robertson elevated to cult hero among Liverpool fans. Robertson scored his first Liverpool goal in the last game of the 2017–18 season, an 4–0 home win against Brighton and Hove Albion.
He played the full 90 minutes of the 2018 UEFA Champions League final, 3–1 defeat to Real Madrid in Kyiv. The Independent wrote, "Robertson was one of Liverpool’s more impressive players on the night, the highlight of his display being an expertly-timed last-ditch tackle to prevent Cristiano Ronaldo from scoring." Robertson ended the season with 30 appearances in all competitions, including 22 in the Premier League and 6 in the UEFA Champions League.
Robertson signed a new contract with the club in January 2019, due to run until 2024. In the 2018–19 Premier League season, Robertson registered 11 assists. Liverpool finished the league season as runners-up to Manchester City, to whom they suffered their only league defeat. Liverpool's 97 points was the then third-highest total in the history of the English top division. It was also the most points scored by a team without winning the title. Liverpool were unbeaten at home in the league for a consecutive season and matched the club record of 30 league wins in a season. On 25 April, Robertson was named in the PFA Team of the Year alongside Liverpool teammates, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Sadio Mané and Virgil van Dijk.
On 7 May 2019, Robertson started in the 4–0 UEFA Champions League semi-final 2nd leg, home win against Barcelona. Described as "one of the most memorable comebacks of all time", that overturned the 1st leg 3–0 defeat. Robertson subbed off injured, 1–0 at half-time after being kicked by Luis Suárez.
On 1 June 2019, Robertson played the full 90 minutes of the UEFA Champions League final an 2–0 win against Tottenham Hotspur in Madrid, securing Liverpool's sixth European Cup title. He became the first Scot to win the final since Darren Fletcher, and the first to play in the final winning team since Paul Lambert in 1997.