After all, the legendary former Spurs goalkeeper has just about seen it all – 41 caps for England including reaching the quarter-final of the World Cup in 2006, League Cup success and hero status here at Spurs and almost 500 career appearances at the top level.
However, his breath was certainly taken away by the famous Azteca Stadium in Mexico last weekend. One of the iconic stadiums of world football, home of Pele and Brazil in 1970 and Maradona vs England in 1986, another chapter was written as England toppled the co-hosts in a thriller in the early hours of Monday morning.
Robbo was there in his role as co-commentator and pundit for BBC Radio Five Live and after that rollercoaster, was soon on a flight to Atlanta for Argentina vs Egypt and from there, to Miami for England’s quarter-final against Norway on Saturday night (10pm UK).
That’s where we caught up with the fans’ favourite…
Q1 | Tell us about the Azteca, it looked from your reports that it was something else…
Robbo: “I mean, the history… it takes a lot for me to be impressed with a football stadium, the amount of places I've played and covered in the media, doing the job that I do now, but I walked into that stadium and I just went, ‘wow’. It takes your breath away. It's incredible. The first thing you think of as an England fan growing up is obviously the Hand of God, Maradona, in 1986. As a kid, that’s the first World Cup I can remember. I sat there and I said to John Murray (BBC commentator) and said, ‘which end was the Hand of God?’ He pointed it out – and it was the same end England defended in the second half against Mexico.”
Q2| Can you even start to explain the emotions of that game?
Robbo: “I felt emotionally and mentally drained after it! It was an incredible experience and an absolute privilege to be there and to do it, but the final whistle goes and then you step away from it, you put the microphone down and you almost fold. We had the rain delay, the extra build-up, the physical and emotional side of the game, and it's hard, everybody gets emotionally invested and we do as well!”
Robbo's World Cup gallery...
Q3 | You’ve been out at the World Cup for almost a month – what’s it been like as an experience?
Robbo: “I flew out on the 12th of June! Mexico was, by far and away, the best experience. The Americans actually, they've got it. I was here for the Club World Cup last summer, and you'd struggle to find a bar with anything on the TV. Here, now, the way that the American team have progressed, obviously they're out now, but the public have actually got it. In terms of the quality of the matches, it's been one of the best tournaments there is. Say what you like about the Americans and football, but they certainly know how to put on a show. There's not one stadium I've walked into and been disappointed. The whole thing has been one massive show. It's been incredible.”
Q4 | Tell us about your Germany-Paraguay penalty shoot-out story…
Robbo: “We're flying around the tournament on Delta (airline) and we're lucky because they have live TV on the planes. Wow. We watched the Germany-Paraguay game, myself and John Murray, sat there on a plane! To be sitting there and hear the reaction to the penalties being taken from other people on the plane, cheering, it was a surreal experience!”
Q5 | Looking ahead, you’re already in Miami, you’ve been at this stage at a World Cup with England before in 2006, what do you think of the quarter-final against Norway on Saturday?
Robbo: “Having spent two days in Miami now, this is going to be the most difficult game that England have had - simply due to the conditions. It's absolutely sweltering and it's the humidity that's the problem. England have been lucky because two of the games that they've played outside have been pouring with rain. They've played inside (stadiums) as well and they've been very lucky with the conditions. In Mexico, it was just like being at home when it was pouring with rain. It was like a summer day in Manchester in Mexico! I had to take a jumper and a coat! This is going to be the most challenging due to the conditions. It's obviously going to be the same for both, but Norway played in similar conditions against Brazil in New York. It's going to be tough. We know the threats that Norway have in Haaland and Odegaard, but when you get to this phase of the competition, there's a lot of pressure involved. For England, I think the Mexico result will have done them the absolute world of good. You talk about growing into a tournament, but the camaraderie, the togetherness and what we saw in the tunnel and around the dressing room areas after that game, that will have brought them together even more. With that confidence, for me, they're huge favourites going into this game.”
