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What's the story?
With the first all-British final in the UEFA Champions League since 2008 almost upon us, Andy Robertson, one of the key members of the Liverpool squad that has made it to the ultimate match for European glory for a second year in a row, has opened up on his brutal shove on Lionel Messi during their semi-final fixture, in an interview with Dailymail.
Messi, who played a pivotal role in Barcelona's three-goal advantage from the first leg, was given a very hostile welcome by Robertson and Fabinho in front of a roaring Anfield, as the Catalans made a 864-mile trip, having one foot already in the final with a three-goal cushion, completely oblivious to the awful fate awaiting them at the end of the 90 minutes.
In case you didn't know...
The Reds are the most successful English club at the competition, having lifted the coveted trophy a record five times, two more than bitter-rivals Manchester United, who were the only team from EPL to be crowned the winner of the competition other than the Merseyside club and Chelsea, since the turn of the century.
The heart of the matter
Jurgen Klopp's men have been one of the best teams in Europe this season, having conceded only 22 goals throughout the season. One of the many leaders on the pitch for the club has been their Scottish left-back Andy Robertson.
Earlier this month he found himself at the center of a controversy when he was caught shoving the Barcelona captain in the head during the semi-final clash between the two clubs. He has now opened up about what prompted that action and has said that it meant nothing. He told Mark Wilson of Dailymail,
"I was just trying to give him a shove. It was not pre-meditated and it wouldn't have meant anything to him or affected him."
"It was irrelevant in terms of the game, but people concentrated on it more because it was Messi."
He further stated that his actions were the result of the intensity with which his team were playing the game and were determined to stage an epic comeback. He also called Messi the greatest player in the world. He said,
"A lot gets made of it [the incident] because it was Messi. He's the best player in the world as far as I'm concerned."
"But I think it showed them the game that they were in, that we were ready for them and we were going to fight anyone, legally of course, who was in our way to get to the final."
The defender who had 11 assists in the English top-flight this season was lucky to get out of the incident without getting into the referee's books.
What's next?
Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur take on each other in the final game of the season for the bragging rights of Europe's best club at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium on 2 June, 00:30 am IST.
