Thomas Robert: Airdrieonians signing out to escape father Laurent's shadow
- Published
Thomas Robert (right), says he cannot imagine having a better father than former France and Newcastle winger Laurent
Thomas Robert says "jealousy" of him being the son of a famous international drove him to exit the French top flight and join Scottish third-tier club Airdrieonians.
Like Laurent Robert, who played nine times for France, his son came through the youth ranks with Montpellier.
"Even in schools football, I was always Robert, I wasn't Thomas," the 20-year-old winger tells BBC Scotland.
He believes it goes some way to explaining why he was never given a first-team game in his homeland.
Now Robert has come to Scotland to escape the former Newcastle United, Paris St-Germain, Portsmouth and Derby County winger's shadow and prove he can "play men's football".
A likely regular starting place was a major reason for choosing Scottish League One despite the offer of a contract extension and interest from other Ligue 1 clubs and the German Bundesliga. There were also speculative media reports linking him with Celtic, Rangers and Newcastle.
Indeed, Airdrieonians director of football, Stuart Millar, claimed at the time his one-year contract was agreed that Robert "could have signed for any club in Europe".
"These things I read in the news about Newcastle and German teams, I didn't really want to know if they were true or not," Robert says. "It was my agent, Mark McKay, who was dealing with this. I just wanted to be in the first team - not on the bench or the second team - and Airdrie gave me this opportunity.
"Ever since I was little until now, I have problems with my name in France, because a lot of people were jealous in the team and my dream was always to play in England. It is not England, but it is close."
Robert was a regular starter for the Montpellier reserve side last season, but they were relegated from Championnat National 2, France's fourth tier.
"I trained every day with the first team at Montpellier and I had my locker with them, but every weekend the manager told me to go with the second team to help them," he says.
"I don't know why I didn't get a chance, because all of the first team wanted me to play with them because they saw in training I was above the other second-team players.
"It was very hard because I had a lot of pressure on me. Even if I scored three or four goals, they would single out the thing I did wrong. In France, when your dad is a star football player, they expect perfection on the pitch."
'I can't imagine having a better dad'
English was Thomas Robert's first language while father Laurent (left) played for Newcastle
Robert moved out of the family home for the final year of his contract to prepare himself for a move from France, but his father remains a major influence.
"After every match, we watch the video and say what is good and what is not and he suggests what I need to do more of on the pitch," he reveals.
"We train a lot together. I can't imagine having a better dad for a footballer because he is a very good coach."
His father had transferred from PSG to begin a five-year spell with Newcastle shortly after his son's birth and the young Robert has since longed to experience for himself the intensity and physicality of British football.
"For me, it is the hardest football in the world here and there are the best players in the world also," he says.
"Before I signed for Airdrie, I didn't know much about Scottish football apart from Celtic and Rangers, but after signing I watched a lot of Airdrie matches on video and I think I made a good choice.
"It was a good level in France, but what I have seen in training with Airdrie, the football is harder here."
Illness in the lead up to last week's opening Scottish League Cup defeat at home to Alloa Athletic meant Robert had to make do with being an unused substitute, but he says he "couldn't be happier" after settling down in Glasgow with girlfriend Noemie before Tuesday's possible debut away to Stenhousemuir.