News

‘Getting on a bit’: What Andy Robertson told Real Madrid star after meeting him on holiday

Add as preferred source on Google

Andy Robertson says he bumped into Real Madrid star David Alaba while on holiday. The Liverpool left-back discussed the World Cup.

Liverpool’s training camp in Dubai is now underway and that gave an opportunity for LFCTV to catchup with Andy Robertson. The Scot isn’t at the World Cup, of course, after his country fell just short of qualification.

And he admitted in an interview that he hasn’t really been watching. While he’s caught up now, Robertson tried to take a break from football.

But he couldn’t entirely escape the football world, it seems. Robertson says he ‘bumped into’ Real Madrid defender, David Alaba while on holiday with his family.

Alaba, like Robertson, didn’t qualify with Austria and again like the Scot, has never actually featured at the World Cup. The former Bayern Munich man has done it all at club level but the grandest stage has eluded him.

“When I went on holiday I actually bumped into David Alaba and he’s in a similar boat obviously playing with Austria,” said Robertson. “He said he’d been to a couple of Euros, but never been to a World Cup.

“We were both kind of talking that we were getting on a bit, so the chances are running out for us to qualify.”

Andy Robertson and David Alaba

It’s always one of the strange things about international football. Some stars are born in countries that struggle to qualify for World Cups and European Championships.

Real Madrid CF v Cadiz CF - LaLiga Santander
Photo by Diego Souto/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images

Liverpool, of course, have someone like Ian Rush in their history who never got to play at a World Cup. He dominated English football, winning everything and scoring more for the Reds in history. Never got to play on the big stage, though.

And the same fate may well call for Robertson and Alaba. Fortunately for the pair, they have luck on their side. FIFA have made the decision to increase the number of teams to 48 for the 2026 edition – handing both Scotland and Austria a better chance of making it.