Andy Robertson has spoken of his regret at shoving six time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi during the Champions League semi-final between Liverpool and Barcelona last season.
The Reds mounted an astonishing comeback at Anfield to overcome the La Liga giants 4-3 on aggregate after they lost the first leg 3-0 in Barcelona, with Robertson playing a key part in the victory.
Cameras, however, picked up Robertson shoving Messi early on in the game while the Argentinean star lay on the turf after feeling he had been fouled.
Speaking to the Daily Mail the Scottish international admitted he felt ashamed when he saw the footage back afterwards.
(Image: EMPICS Sport)
“When I look back on things I don’t really regret anything because I feel as if everything is experience that makes you what you are,” Robertson said. “But I do look back at that moment with Messi as one regret. I don’t like seeing it. When I saw it afterwards I was gutted.
“I have nothing but respect for him and Barcelona, but we went into that game with the attitude that we were 3-0 down, we needed a miracle, we needed something special and if that little thing stopped the best player in the world playing to his full potential…
“But I do regret it. That’s not me as a person. That’s not my personality. But that night a lot of things happened that you don’t really remember.”
(Image: Action Images via Reuters)
Robertson has been in superb form again this season, creating six assists in 26 Premier League appearances and helping his side to 12 clean sheets, the most in the division.
He will be back in action on Monday when the Reds host West Ham looking to record one of the five more victories they need to seal a first ever Premier League win for the club.
