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Inside the fairytale journey of Scotland captain Robertson
Inside the fairytale journey of Scotland captain Robertson
At Scotland's training camp in Turkey before their crucial World Cup qualifiers against Greece and Denmark in November, Andy Robertson turned into Claudia Winkleman.
The captain had devised a 'Traitors' game for the squad to play, complete with blackboards and mini shields. The chosen ones had to report to his room each night to elect who they were going to 'kill'.
A week-long quest to find the Traitors ensued, as the players got involved in challenges and capers in the build-up to two of the biggest games of their lives.
It was Robertson's way of bringing the team together and injecting some fun amid the pressure. It is a small but significant example of the 32-year-old's influence.
As a player, team-mate and captain, 'Robbo' has made an indelible mark with this group of Scotland players.
And his journey from working at the Hampden ticket office to captaining Scotland to their first men's World Cup in 28 years makes him a national icon.
'I've always tried to give 100%' - the player
Robertson's value to Liverpool has been lauded over the last fortnight as he said goodbye to Anfield at the end of his nine-year spell.
From a raw attacking full-back who - in Jurgen Klopp's view - could not defend when he arrived from Hull City in 2017, Robertson became one of the world's best.
Alongside Trent Alexander-Arnold, Robertson set new assist records in the Premier League as part of Klopp's ferocious team and ended his time at Liverpool with two Premier League titles and one Champions League.
Some have labelled him as the club's greatest-ever left-back, which at a club like Liverpool tells its own story. For Scotland, Robertson's tale is different.
His status at Anfield brought pressure on national team duty. A nation so starved of major tournaments was desperate for a star.
Except left-backs are rarely the star. Just as Robertson famously wrote when sending a Liverpool fan a shirt of Roberto Firmino's after the youngster donated to a foodbank. "Because nobody wants the left-back's shirt," was his quip.
Andy Robertson twice won the Premier League with Liverpool
Robertson at times had to withstand debate about his own position, with Kieran Tierney rivalling him for the left-back berth. At Hampden, the most common songs are odes to the goalscoring exploits of Scott McTominay and John McGinn.
His Scotland career has not been about individual moments but sheer consistency of standards and presence, almost from the moment Gordon Strachan plucked him from the under-21s and gave him his debut in March 2014.
In his 12-year international career, he has barely missed a game and rarely even comes off. Over his 93 caps - only Kenny Dalglish has more for Scotland - Robertson has averaged 84 minutes per game.
His relentless runs, crossing and full-blooded tackling have been a staple. His ability speaks for itself, but his team-mates all speak of how much more he brings.
"I've always just tried to give 100% and also tried to enjoy it," Robertson told Kelly Cates in a BBC Sport interview last month.
"We know we're very lucky to do the best job in the world, in my opinion. So many little boys and girls have dreams of becoming footballers when they're younger. And 99% of them don't make it.
"We're in the small percentage that are very lucky to go and achieve their dreams. And I think I've always carried that with me."
The captain & team-mate
Alex McLeish named Robertson as Scotland captain in September 2018 after the retirement of Celtic midfielder Scott Brown.
At the time, he had earned just 22 caps but had established himself as Liverpool's left-back as they reached the Champions League final.
It said a lot that he was the obvious choice at just 24. Now he has captained Scotland more than any other player.
"He's just a very humble guy," James McFadden, an assistant coach with the national team at the time, said. "You would never know he plays for Liverpool, top of the league and in the Champions League final. He's a leader."
Robertson's infectious personality and ability to relate to people is one of his defining traits.
Scotland head coach Steve Clarke says he can be both "demanding" and "understanding" when the time is right.
Napoli and Scotland midfielder McTominay agrees. "Top boy, Robbo," he told the Scottish FA in a recent documentary, external.
"He's such a great captain and he's got that good balance between being one of the senior players and saying you need to wake up if you're not playing well.
"Then he's also got the personable side, organising things with the manager, helping young players and stuff. He's brilliant with that, brilliant."
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You've done Liverpool and Scotland proud - Kenny Dalglish on Robertson's career
There are examples everywhere of Robertson doing just that. He and other senior players decided the squad were not marking each other's successes enough.
Now, players are presented with a personalised Scotland shirt on their first cap and other milestones.
There are endless clips of him laughing and joking with team-mates. Klopp described him as a "mood-lifter" and "energy-giver" at Liverpool.
The scale of the tributes before his final game for Liverpool spoke volumes.
Robertson describes the environment with the national team as "special" and, though he would credit Clarke with fostering that, his team-mates are happy to pay tribute to his own impact.
That closeness has not just been a nice-to-have for this Scotland squad, it is a fundamental part of qualifying for three major tournaments. For Robertson, it is everything.
"We've all grown up together and I played against all these lads when I was 10, 11," he said.
"I've played against [John] McGinn my whole life. Kenny [McLean] and Ryan Christie and people like that. And now to be going to the World Cup with these, that I consider my best mates. It's just an absolutely incredible feeling."
From needing a job to World Cup
There is always a social media post, it seems. For Robertson, it is the one he sent out into the world as an 18-year-old about being broke and needing a job.
At the time, he was playing for Queen's Park in Scottish League Two and earning £18 per week.
It has been brought back up at various points over the years, as a reference to his journey after being released by Celtic as a 15-year-old.
While at Queen's Park - in those days an amateur club - he worked in the ticket office at Hampden and in the bootroom to try to earn some extra money.
Less than a year later, Robertson was playing regularly for Dundee United and another year on was in the Premier League with Hull City and a full Scotland international.
Andy Robertson got his break at Queen's Park
"He doesn't like talking about his story," John McGinn told the Scottish FA.
"He'll no like hearing it - but that'll never happen again. Part-time football to go so quickly to Hull, Liverpool, Champions League winner, Premier League winner, captaining your country at a World Cup. That's fairytale stuff.
"It's a documentary I can't wait to sit back and watch, the Andy Robertson documentary."
His manager at Hull, Steve Bruce, cited Robertson's ability to grow and meet bigger challenges as they came along. Strachan said his intelligence meant he learned extremely quickly.
Robertson mainly ascribes his ascent to "luck" in having coaches and managers who were willing to give him a chance, as well as his work ethic.
"What I could control is I went into football with: 'I will give this 100% and, if I don't make it, at least I can look back and go, you know what, I gave that absolutely everything and wasn't for me."
Robertson is on his way to surpassing the great Dalglish's record of 102 caps for Scotland and already has the most appearances as captain.
The McTominay mural marking the midfielder's overhead kick in the defining game against Denmark adorns a tenement next to Hampden, only a few miles from where Robertson grew up. It may need some company.
Robertson is the boy who went from posting about being broke to ruffling Lionel Messi's hair on his way to winning the Champions League.
From answering the Hampden phones to ending Scotland's World Cup hurt in the same place, 14 years on.
He might not like to hear it, but it is a story that should inspire young Scots for generations.