Andy Robertson

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.

Robertson's father 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 (university) on the backburner and I was at least going to have a crack at it (professional football)." 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 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 (then an amateur club) 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 [at Celtic] 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 [Robertson] 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

Aged 23, on 21 July 2017 Robertson signed a long-term contract with Liverpool under the management of Jürgen Klopp. 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 made his debut for Liverpool in a 1–0 league win over Crystal Palace. He was given 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 2018–19 PFA Team of the Year alongside Liverpool teammates Trent Alexander-Arnold, Sadio Mané and Virgil van Dijk; the following season, he was named in the team a second time.

Tottenham Hotspur

On 5 June 2026, fellow Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur announced the signing of Robertson as a free agent after nine years at Liverpool. He made his Spurs debut on 22 August in a 3–0 Premier League defeat to Brentford.

International career

Under-21s

Robertson debuted internationally for the Scotland under-21s on 10 October 2013, subbing on in a 2–1 win in Paisley against Slovakia. He was selected for the under-21 team in November 2015, when the full national team did not have a fixture.

Senior squad

Robertson was first named in the full Scotland squad for a friendly against Poland on 5 March 2014. He played for Dundee United at the time. He subbed on in the second half, as Scotland won 1–0 in Warsaw. Scotland manager Gordon Strachan said afterwards "Andy came on there and the first time he picked it up he drove about 30 yards. I thought 'that's fantastic'. Absolutely no grey area, I'm going to do what I do. I loved seeing that first touch."

Robertson made his first start for the national team in a 2–2 draw at Craven Cottage with Nigeria on 28 May 2014. Robertson scored his first international goal in November 2014, losing a friendly 3–1 to England at Celtic Park.

On 3 September 2018, Robertson was appointed Scotland captain by manager Alex McLeish. After a 2–1 defeat against Israel in October 2018, Robertson said that both he and fellow left-back Kieran Tierney were being played out of position in the 3–5–2 system adopted by McLeish to accommodate both players.

After the sacking of Alex McLeish, Steve Clarke was appointed manager of Scotland in May 2019; he elected to keep Robertson as captain. In Clarke's first game as Scotland manager, a UEFA Euro 2020 qualifier against Cyprus on 8 June 2019, Robertson scored the opener with a long-range strike. Scotland went on to win 2–1. In October's qualifiers against San Marino and Russia, Robertson was reunited with former Queen's Park teammate Lawrence Shankland, the two having last played together for then-amateur Queen's Park in the Scottish Third Division in 2012. In November 2020, with Robertson again as captain, Scotland qualified for UEFA Euro 2020 following a play-off 5–4 win on penalties against Serbia in Belgrade. It was Scotland's first major tournament qualification since 1998, ending a 22-year non-qualifying streak.

On 14 June 2021, Robertson captained Scotland in their first Euro 2020 game, losing 2–0 to the Czech Republic. After a 0–0 draw with England at Wembley Stadium, Scotland were knocked out at the group stage after losing 3–1 to Croatia. On 4 September 2021, Robertson won his 50th cap and thereby joined the Scottish FA International Roll of Honour. In his next game, he led the team to a 0–1 away win against Austria. Akin to Robertson reuniting with Shankland two years prior, Paul McGinn made his debut against Austria; reuniting him and Robertson for the first time in almost nine years since appearing together with Queen's Park.

Style of play

During his prime between 2018 and 2022, Robertson was frequently described by pundits and media sources as one of the best left-backs in world football. An online article specifically analysing Robertson's style (at the time under Klopp at Liverpool), highlighted defensively Robertson's, "discipline required to maintain the defensive integrity of the team", "ability to time his presses and regain possession," and "positional intelligence and awareness." The article added, "Robertson's defensive strategy involves proactive decision-making, calculated risks, and strategic positional play. This allows him to make crucial interceptions and regain possession for his team, [to] often launch counter-attacks." The same article described Robertson's attacking threat from his, "blistering pace", "exemplary assists", "work ethic", "dynamic overlapping runs" and "ability to exploit spaces and provide precise crosses helps his team create and convert chances".

Former Manchester United manager José Mourinho commented in December 2018, after losing 3–1 to Liverpool, "I am still tired, just look[ing] at Robertson. He makes, I think, 100-metre sprints every minute. Absolutely incredible, and these are qualities."

Robertson wrote in a 2019 self-penned article, "No magic wands have been waved in my direction, I didn't win some kind of lottery to land a spot on one of the biggest clubs in the world. The reason why I'm a Liverpool player is the same reason why I'm captain of my country: I've worked my bollocks off to get where I am, and by doing that, I've been able to make the most of whatever talent I have."

Fábio Aurélio, a predecessor Liverpool left-back, in June 2020 said of Robertson: "He's kind of the complete player because physically he's well capable of going forward and going back he defends very well." He added, "He's quick, so his one-v-one is good", and "he's always improving, he's not comfortable in his situation being first choice."

Philanthropy

In March 2018 Robertson donated a Liverpool shirt signed by teammate Roberto Firmino, to a young boy who had given his pocket money to a local food bank. The Sunday Times reported in March 2020 that Robertson had donated significant sums to food banks in the Glasgow area. In November 2020, Robertson founded the AR26 Charity, which aims to help socially deprived and critically ill children.

In September 2020, Robertson released his first memoir, Robbo: Now You're Gonna Believe Us, which mainly focuses on Liverpool's 2019–20 campaign. All proceeds from the book go to Robertson's foundation, which helps underprivileged children in Scotland.

Personal life

Robertson married Rachel Roberts in the summer of 2022. The couple have three children, a son (born 2017) and two daughters (born 2019 and 2023). In 2019 he was living in Formby. He is a practising Roman Catholic.

Robertson was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2023 New Year Honours for services to association football, charity and young people.

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 29 August 2026

International

As of match played 24 June 2026

As of match played 24 June 2026

Scotland score listed first, score column indicates score after each Robertson goal

Honours

Hull City

Football League Championship play-offs: 2016

Liverpool

Premier League: 2019–20, 2024–25

FA Cup: 2021–22

EFL Cup: 2021–22, 2023–24; runner-up: 2024–25

FA Community Shield: 2022

UEFA Champions League: 2018–19; runner-up: 2017–18, 2021–22

UEFA Super Cup: 2019

FIFA Club World Cup: 2019

Individual

PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year: 2013–14

PFA Scotland Team of the Year: 2013–14

SPFL Player of the Month: November 2013

SPFL Young Player of the Month: September 2013

PFA Team of the Year: 2018–19 Premier League, 2019–20 Premier League

UEFA Champions League Breakthrough XI: 2018

UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season: 2018–19

UEFA Team of the Year: 2019

UEFA Champions League Team of the Season: 2021–22

ESM Team of the Year: 2019–20