Andy Robertson departs after nine years as a Liverpool legend.<\/p>\n
The Scotland captain’s decorated career at Anfield<\/a> will officially come to an end when he makes his 378th and final appearance for the club he has represented with distinction since signing from Hull City in 2017 on Sunday against Brentford.<\/p>\n At a mere \u00a38m Robertson has proven himself to one of the greatest bargains in Liverpool’s history and he walks away with an honours list that has seen him win two Premier League<\/a> titles and the Champions League<\/a> in 2019 alongside two League Cups, the FA Cup<\/a> and a first-ever Club World Cup.<\/p>\n But it is Robertson’s down-to-earth nature that has appealed to supporters just as much as his ability on the pitch across most of the last decade, and in an end-of-season address to the city’s people, the 32-year-old has opened up to the ECHO on what it means to him and his family to become honorary Scousers.<\/p>\n —<\/p>\n Dear ECHO reader,<\/p>\n It feels a bit self-important writing a letter like this, if I\u2019m honest. But when I was asked, I didn\u2019t want to miss the chance to say thank you to a city and a community that has made me and my family feel like one of their own from day one.<\/p>\n Let me start with something that probably sounds more suited to a letter in The Herald back in Glasgow.<\/p>\n I\u2019m a proud Glaswegian. I always will be. I love telling people where I\u2019m from. It\u2019s part of who I am. It\u2019s where I was born, where I was raised and it\u2019ll forever be in my blood.<\/p>\n But after nine years here, I\u2019ve realised there\u2019s room in my heart for two cities.<\/p>\n Liverpool will forever define a huge part of my life.<\/p>\n Honestly, I think the reason me and my family settled so quickly is because Liverpool reminded us so much of home. The humour, the people, the mentality \u2014 it all felt familiar straight away. At times it genuinely feels like Glasgow and Liverpool are only separated by two different accents.<\/p>\n Both cities have that working-class spirit. Pride. Defiance. People who say what they think. No airs and graces. What you see is what you get.<\/p>\n And more than anything, both places value honesty. There\u2019s something real about Liverpool. People here can spot nonsense a mile off, and I\u2019ve always respected that.<\/p>\n I know from the outside my connection to this city will always be tied to the football club and everything we achieved together. Of course I\u2019m immensely proud of that. How could I not be?<\/p>\n But for me and my wife, our bond with Merseyside goes much deeper than football.<\/p>\n Rachel and I arrived in 2017 as a young couple expecting our first child. Like me, Rach is fiercely proud of being from Glasgow. We actually went to school together, which probably tells you how long she\u2019s had to put up with me.<\/p>\n Looking back now, we probably underestimated how daunting it was \u2014 moving to a new city, away from family, about to become parents for the first time.<\/p>\n But Liverpool instantly made us feel comfortable. And the incredible people at Liverpool Women\u2019s Hospital made us feel safe at a time in our lives where that meant everything.<\/p>\n Over the nine years, two became five. Liverpool is where our little team was built.<\/p>\n A lot of teammates \u2014 mainly James Milner to be fair \u2014 loved winding me up about being captain of Scotland while having three kids born in England. But I\u2019m always quick to correct them. They\u2019re not English. We\u2019ve got three proper little Scottish Scousers.<\/p>\n And honestly, we couldn\u2019t be prouder of that.<\/p>\n The kids probably sum us up best really \u2014 Glaswegians with a Liverpool passport.<\/p>\n My wider family feel exactly the same way about this city.<\/p>\n My mum and dad come down all the time, even when Liverpool aren\u2019t playing. They love the place. My brother and his family get here whenever they can. And my pals \u2014 most of whom I\u2019ve known since school \u2014 absolutely love any excuse for a weekend in Liverpool.<\/p>\n They enjoy the nights more than the mornings these days \u2014 mainly because they\u2019ve usually overindulged the night before. Age probably doesn\u2019t help either, to be fair.<\/p>\n One of the nicest things for me has been watching the people closest to me fall in love with this city the same way I did.<\/p>\n The reality of football is that a lot of the time you experience places through the people around you because your own life can become so focused on training, games and recovery. So seeing my family and friends feel so welcomed here has genuinely meant a lot to me.<\/p>\n It probably feels strange to have gone this far without properly mentioning football.<\/p>\n The supporters are what make Liverpool Football Club what it is. They are the club. The connection I\u2019ve built with them is something I\u2019ll carry with me forever.<\/p>\n To be part of a team that delivered success for them will always mean everything to me. The special days and nights, the trophies, the celebrations, the parades \u2014 those memories will stay with me forever.<\/p>\n But honestly, I think the difficult moments matter just as much too. The ones where we fell short, where we suffered together, where the whole city felt the disappointment alongside us.<\/p>\n Because that\u2019s what made the bond so special. We won together, we lost together, we laughed, celebrated, cried and mourned together. We went through all of it together.<\/p>\n There was always a feeling that the supporters and the team were pulling in the same direction, fighting for each other. I\u2019ll forever be grateful I got the chance to be part of that.<\/p>\n And while we\u2019re here, I should probably mention the blue half of the city too.<\/p>\n Getting booed at the Hill Dickinson while playing for Scotland recently was honestly one of the highlights of my year.<\/p>\n But seriously, the rivalry in this city is special. It matters. I\u2019ve met plenty of Evertonians over the years and I\u2019ll genuinely miss the arguments, the humour and the constant digs flying back and forth.<\/p>\n That\u2019s football in this city. Passionate, emotional and never dull.<\/p>\n I\u2019ll finish the only way that feels right \u2014 by simply saying thank you.<\/p>\n Thank you for welcoming a skinny wee lad from Glasgow who kicks a bag of air around for a living and making him feel part of something much bigger than football.<\/p>\n I said earlier that I\u2019ve always loved saying, \u201cI\u2019m from Glasgow.\u201d<\/p>\n What always struck me about Scousers was they said \u201cI\u2019m from Liverpool\u201d in exactly the same way \u2014 chest out, proud as anything, with that look in their eye.<\/p>\n After nine years here, I understand that feeling far better than I ever could have imagined.<\/p>\n And in my own way, I share it.<\/p>\n Liverpool, it\u2019s been an absolute pleasure.<\/p>\n The privilege was all mine.<\/p>\n Love,<\/p>\n Andy and the Robertson family.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Andy Robertson departs after nine years as a Liverpool legend. 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