When I overtook Jim Leighton, that was when I started to wind Kenny up about beating his cap tally… ANDY ROBERTSON on going level with Dalglish

It’s a story which extols the virtues of loyalty and leadership in the proper sense.

More than anything, though, Andy Robertson’s achievements in football are – and always will be – reminders of what’s possible when a talented individual takes rejection as their motivation to redefine themselves in the eyes of the world.

Even though it’s been told many times before, the tale of the full-back’s determination to bounce back from being shown the door as a teenager by Celtic will never grow old.

Without having the character to overcome such adversity, he would not have been caught in the safety net at Queen’s Park. There would have been no moves to Dundee United and Hull. No Champions League and title-winning medals from his time with Liverpool. No first cap for his country.

In terms of a life lesson for those aspiring footballers who may find themselves in a cul-de-sac in their own careers, it has few equals.

All being well, Robertson will make his 102nd appearance for Scotland against North Macedonia, equalling the record tally of his idol and great friend, Sir Kenny Dalglish.

Both men are proud Glaswegians and Scots who bonded throughout their time together at Anfield. Dalglish would be the first to admit, though, that their respective paths have been distinct.

With a God-given talent so bright it could blind you, Dalglish was a superstar in the making before he wore a Scotland jersey for the first time against Belgium in 1971.

Coming in a friendly in Poland in 2014, Robertson’s first appearance only arrived after those early struggles.

It took huge character for him to even get that far. To add a century more across a dozen years under four different managers is a gargantuan achievement.

Football has a funny habit of throwing up strange co-incidences. Yesterday happened to be 40 years to the day since Dalglish won the last of his caps in a 3-0 win over Luxembourg.

Characteristically, before he took his own walk down memory lane, the man who’ll join him on that mark this evening was at pains to give the Anfield icon his rightful place.

‘It’s not really about me,’ Robertson insisted. ‘For how long the record stood, for starters, for what he (Dalglish) achieved in his career, for the person he is… tomorrow is another reason for our country to honour one of the greatest players that has played a game. He’s definitely the greatest in Scotland.

‘Obviously, in terms of the number, I will stand side by side with him. But I don’t want people to forget how important this man has been to our country.

‘Because, for me, he was arguably the best player in the world at one time and will always be the greatest in this country, no matter what happens in the future.

‘He’ll always be the first one to do X, Y and Z. I just think that shouldn’t be forgotten.

‘Tomorrow is definitely a reason to do that for Kenny.’

There is, though, still no understating what Robertson has achieved across 12 years. Playing for Scotland wasn’t always the joy that it’s been in more recent times.

‘We get looked after so well off the pitch,’ he offered. ‘That probably wasn’t always the case when I first came in.

‘Under Gordon (Strachan) in my first qualifying campaign, I think I was still young enough to not think too much about it. But then I also remember under Alex McLeish and then the start of Steve Clarke, there was a real disconnect between the country and the players.

‘There wasn’t too much love for the players. We were getting 10,000, 15,000 inside Hampden. That was the most difficult time, especially as captain and being at Liverpool as well.’

He stuck at it and never shirked responsibility. In time he was able to chalk up the numbers because the side steadily improved and broke through the glass ceiling.

‘Of course, I would be sitting here with a few less caps if we hadn’t been successful,’ he reflected. ‘The fact that we got to two Euros, a World Cup and all the warm-up games and things like that resulted in me having an extra maybe 15 caps.

‘What makes it more special to me is the fact that we’ve managed to achieve things.’

All of this was beyond his wildest dreams at the beginning. A late substitute for Barry Bannan in a friendly in Warsaw on March 5, 2014, he can still hear Gordon Strachan whispering in his ear.

‘He basically said, “Don’t be scared, don’t go into your shell”,’ he recalled. ‘He said, “The reason I’ve picked you is because you’re brave. I see you bombing up and down the pitch for Dundee United”. He said, “Go and be that player”.

‘I always remember the first ball came to me and the words were ringing in my ears. I think I carried it 30 yards forward. It gave me the confidence to just go and try and play exactly the way I was playing under Jackie McNamara.’

Four years later, by then a Liverpool player, Robertson was handed the armband by McLeish following Scott Brown’s retirement.

‘That made me grow up and made me realise what it took to become a leader,’ he reflected. ‘I kind of grew into it. I believe that I became the captain that I wanted to be.’

It was only when he equalled McLeish’s 77 appearances that the prospect of one day equalling or surpassing Dalglish entered his head.

‘I think everyone in the room and everyone who personally knows me well enough knows that personal achievements aren’t really what I focus on,’ he said. ‘But I would lie if I said this wasn’t one that I’ve chased.

‘I think when I overtook Darren Fletcher (80 caps), when I was in the 80s, it felt like ages for me to get to Jim Leighton (91). Then I thought I’ve only got one more person to go.

‘That’s when I started thinking about it a little bit more, starting to believe that it might happen, started to wind Kenny up a bit more that it was going to happen.

‘I think that was maybe when I realised that this was maybe possible if I got lucky with injuries, if I kept playing for Liverpool.

‘Sat here today, if it happens, it’s something I couldn’t be more proud of. My international career has been everything for me.’

To wear the armband at one international tournament would have been a laudable achievement in itself. To do so three times would have seemed an impossible feat in those difficult early days.

The hunger to repeat the trick at Euro 2028 is as strong as ever.

‘I’ve always kept pushing,’ he said. ‘We’re always trying something new. My wife asked me a similar question last week when we were talking about it. I was going to try and catch Gemma Fay (203 caps), but I think that might be a little bit too far from me…’