MX23RW : Saturday, November 23 20:45:38| >> :60:76:76:

Andy Robertson, Jurgen Klopp recall impact losing a relative had on their careers

The Scot's aunt died during his time at Dundee United and he spoke about it as part of the Heads Up campaign.

Liverpool defender Andy Robertson and manager Jurgen Klopp have spoken about the pain of losing relatives who helped shape their careers.

Full-back Robertson, 26, recalled how his aunt showed belief in him when he was released by Celtic at the age of 15 in 2009 but died at Christmas 2013, before his career took off with the Reds, where he has become a European, world and now Premier League champion.

"I was a normal 15-year-old lad so there were probably a few tears but my mum and dad got me my favourite curry that night (when Celtic let him go)," he said.

"My auntie came up to the house and she told mum 'I'm telling you, he'll make it as a footballer' and that's something that's always stayed with me.

"When I was at Dundee United, on Christmas Day, sadly she passed away. She was one that always believed I was something special even when probably nobody believed it when I was younger.

"But that is something that does bug me a little bit, that she's not seen me lifting the Champions League, lifting the Premier League and things like that."

Robertson was speaking with Klopp in a video filmed as part of the six-part #SoundofSupport series from the Heads Up campaign, which seeks to encourage football fans, and men in particular, to feel more confident and comfortable in reaching out for support when they need it.

The campaign will be showcased at Saturday's FA Cup final at Wembley.

Klopp told Robertson he experienced something similar with his late father.

"My dad never saw me as a manager. He died four months before I became a manager," the German said.

"He pushed me through my (playing) career pretty much, with really harsh criticism and stuff like this, but now my real career, he never saw. That's hard from time to time."

Robertson said he had struggled to open up when he was younger but having children has helped.

"When I started making it professional that's when I struggled the most," he said.

"I was down in Hull on my own and people thought 'okay, he's a Premier League footballer, he's playing for Hull, he's getting a good wage' so then people would stop asking 'how are you?'. I used to be one who blocked everything up and thought 'my problems are my problems'.

"Now I feel so much better. I remember speaking to Rach (his partner) a year ago about something daft, something that was playing on my mind and after a 10-minute conversation with her I felt everything was off (my shoulders) and thought, 'yeah, I should do this a bit more often'."

In another film, Manchester City team-mates Ilkay Gundogan and Phil Foden spoke about the coping mechanisms they use.

Ilkay Gundogan spoke to Phil Foden about the difficulties he faced during lockdown
Ilkay Gundogan spoke to Phil Foden about the difficulties he faced during lockdown (the Royal Foundation)

The German admitted it was sometimes difficult to live alone in a foreign country, something which had been brought into even sharper focus during the coronavirus lockdown.

"The fact that I spent so much time on my own during lockdown showed me how important it is to have your loved ones close to you," he told Foden.

"I'm probably not the best person in terms of calling, but in that time I was on the phone talking, especially to my parents.

"Sometimes when you have bad games and bad moments, at home you have a lot of time to think about things.

"It's a human thing – you always feel more comfortable talking about positive things. When it comes to mental health I've learned that talking about difficult stuff or problems, issues, makes me personally always feel released afterwards, like I'm lighter, I've lost weight."

ID:408407: cacheID:408407:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:8219:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Manchester City defender John Stones pictured on July 8, 2020
Read Next:
Paul Merson urges Chelsea to sign John Stones
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool119112161528
2Manchester CityMan City127232217523
3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
9Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
10Fulham125341717018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd114341212015
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Crystal Palace121561017-78
19Ipswich TownIpswich111551222-108
20Southampton11119721-144


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!