Robertson equals Dalglish’s 102 Scotland caps and pays tribute

Andy Robertson, the Tottenham full-back, will make his 102nd appearance for Scotland in the visit of North Macedonia to Hampden Park on Friday, equalling Kenny Dalglish’s national record of 102 caps. Robertson paid tribute to Dalglish ahead of the match and said the milestone did not equate to Dalglish’s standing in Scottish football.

Four decades after Dalglish ended his international run at 102 games, Robertson said he was “understandably” delighted by his own tally and spoke warmly of the former Liverpool figure. Robertson added that he got to know Dalglish well during nine years at Liverpool and described the occasion as a reason for the country to honour Dalglish’s career and person.

“For how long the record stood, for starters, for what he achieved in his career, for the person he is,” Robertson said. “Tomorrow is another reason for our country to honour one of the greatest players that has played a game. He’s definitely the greatest from Scotland. I think it’s another reason for everyone to speak about him and realise his achievements in his footballing career. And also the person that he has been throughout his whole life. “Obviously, in terms of 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.”

The Liverpool connection between Robertson and Dalglish provided a personal context to the milestone. “He reminds me all the time that getting into the 100 caps back then was a lot harder than it is now,” said Robertson with a smile. “I never set myself personal goals. For me it’s always about the team and how I best deal with the team and things like that.”

Robertson recounted the progression of his Scotland appearances and how the milestone grew more real as he closed in. “When I overtook Darren Fletcher, when I was in the 80s, it felt like it took ages for me to get to Jim Leighton [at 91]. Then I thought: ‘I’ve only got one more to go.’ That’s when I started thinking about it a little bit more, starting to believe that it might happen a little bit more, starting to wind-up Kenny up a bit more that it was going to happen.

He is due to play in Switzerland on Monday, where he would surpass Dalglish’s 102-cap total. “Sat here today, if it happens, it’s something I couldn’t be more proud of.’’