The rise of Andy Robertson has been pretty remarkable but one man who has been aware of his abilities for a few years is Manchester City skipper Vincent Kompany.
Six years ago, playing for Queen's Park in the Scottish Third Division, where the money wasn't great, Robertson tweeted about needing to get another job.
Fast forward to the present day and he has just come off the back off a stunning first season with Liverpool, where he established himself as the club's first-choice left-back and played in the Champions League final. What's more, the 24-year old has just been named Scotland captain.
But his rise to prominence isn't much of a surprise to Kompany, who was actually handed a programme by Robertson, working at the national stadium for some extra cash, when Belgium played Scotland in 2013.
"Sometimes, you see people and you remember the face or the moment. He probably doesn't know this, but I did remember him," Kompany said, as quoted by the Daily Mail.
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"Most of us in football have come from humble backgrounds. Whatever way you get there, it is just great to see him doing well," he added.
"Andy is now playing to such a high level with Liverpool and now he is captain of his country. He has come a long way in a short space of time.
"I do think he is a great example. If you look at every single club, you will find a lot of young lads coming through who probably used to be ball boys or something.
"If you have work rate and desire and ability like him, it is not so much of a surprise. It is natural progress."
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Robertson serves as a reminder that hard work pays off. After spending his time playing in front of 200 spectators in the lower echelons of Scottish football, he got a move to Dundee United and was later snapped up by Hull City for just short of £3 million a year later.
But he was on Kompany's radar well before that - with the former Hamburg man revealing he'd snapped him up on a Football Manager save.
"A few people over the years have mentioned the fact he handed me that programme," he added. I don't know why, but I just remembered him.
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"I knew of him when he was playing in Scotland even before he joined Hull City.
"I play Football Manager, so I was well aware of him. I actually signed him back then because good left-backs are hard to come by. I took a gamble on him, but it paid off."
Nice to know Kompany loves a bit of FM - and that he was a Robertson fan before it became cool.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Liverpool, Football News, Football Manager, Football, FM, Vincent Kompany
