The Premier League can boast a new all-time assist leader today after Scottish international star Andrew Robertson turned provider once again as Liverpool jumped to an early 1-0 lead against Unai Emery’s Aston Villa at Villa Park.
Mohamed Salah bagged his seventh league goal of the 2022-23 league campaign from a close-range tap-in after the Reds combined well after Villa cleared from a corner to set themselves off and running during the post-World Cup restart, but it’s the 28-year-old Glasgow native that had stolen headlines early on in proceedings when he earned his 54th league assist, passing Everton icon Leighton Baines in the process.
Most Premier League assists provided by defenders in the competition’s history.
◉ Andy Robertson (54, 231 games)
◎ Leighton Baines (53, 420 games)
Robbo is a record-breaker. 👏 pic.twitter.com/b0UtPKYRdx
— Squawka (@Squawka) December 26, 2022
Robertson’s emergence as arguably the best left-back in Liverpool’s history – to say nothing of the notion that he could go down as the best in his position across the entire Premier League – is a story that certainly can inspire after humble beginnings.
His pathway never took him through the senior level at the likes of Celtic (though he did begin his academy years here), Rangers, or Aberdeen, but instead, he began his footballing journey after making his professional debut with Queen’s Park in 2012 before moving to Dundee United in 2013 only to leave for Hull City one year later.
During his three-year stint with the Tigers, Robertson rose to localized prominence but was heralded as one of the top left-backs during the 2016-17 season despite Hull failing to avoid relegation, which prompted Liverpool to rescue him from dropping to the Championship.
The rest, as they say, is history. Robertson now can likely be viewed as not just the best left-back in club history (and arguably of the Premier League era), but likely as the best Scottish footballer to ever ply his trade in the same era ahead of the likes of Darren Fletcher, Colin Hendry, Gary McAllister, and Duncan Ferguson.
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