For all the heartache of losing last season’s Champions League Final in such agonising fashion at least Andy Robertson is well prepared for a proper victory party this time.
The Liverpool star was seen trudging around Homebase the day after defeat in Kiev, his purchase of a barbecue designed to fill the afternoon that was pencilled in for an open-top bus parade.
But if they defeat Spurs on Saturday in Madrid his barbie will be a much livelier affair.
Robertson is used to dealing with dejection, admitting he was “sobbing over his curry” after being cut loose by boyhood heroes Celtic as a kid.
Now he wants to cap his amazing rise from part-time football with Queen’s Park by lifting Europe’s biggest prize.
“Hopefully we’ve not got that nonsense again,” the Scotland skipper said when reminded of the DIY trip. "I’ve still got that barbecue.
“Last year was a massive disappointment. Hopefully we’re feeling better this time but we know what hard work has to go in to achieve that.
“If we can do that it will be a better party!”
Hard work. That phrase may be overused in football but, for Robertson, it is the key to Liverpool’s quest for a first trophy under Jurgen Klopp.
Despite claiming a record 97 points in finishing Premier League runners-up and coming back from the dead against Barcelona, the Scot insists they will only deserve something from their season if they manage to see off Tottenham.
He said: “I’ve heard a few people say we deserve a trophy for this season but for me we don’t deserve anything yet.
“A lot of people would say 97 points deserves the Premier League but it didn’t because Manchester City got 98.
“We deserve nothing, only what we put into the game and what we get out. If we have 100 per cent effort and play to our best then we’ll deserve it. But we aren’t going into the game thinking we deserve it. Never. That would be stupid of us.”
The pain from last year’s 3-1 loss to Real Madrid still lingers but there is also the knowledge this clash with Spurs presents an opportunity for redemption.
Robertson said: “It feels good to have another crack at this final. Nobody deserves it more than our fans who have backed us throughout.
“This has been an incredible season, full of emotional moments. But it has also been a chance for me to take a step back and see the full picture.
“From sobbing over my curry after being released by Celtic, to making six quid a night grinding away in Scotland, to signing for Liverpool and putting on that red tracksuit, barely believing it. It’s massive.”
