Callum Robinson has opened up on his controversy last year.
Ireland international Callum Robinson has ruled out suggestions that he was unduly impacted by the Covid-19 vaccine controversy he found himself embroiled in last year.
Prior to Ireland’s trip to Azerbaijan, Robinson admitted that he did not take the Covid-19 vaccine, with worldwide headlines following the West Brom forward.
The 27-year-old answered his critics in the best possible way, scoring twice in Baku, and then netted a hat-trick in Ireland’s dominant win at home to Qatar just days later.
“To be fair, I didn’t think it was that that big of a thing, and then it blew up..”
When asked how he was impacted by the stir, he denied that he was at all.
“It was different, definitely different,” he explained on the build-up to the Azerbaijan game. “To be fair, I didn’t think it was that that big of a thing, and then it blew up.
“But I just wanted to get on the pitch really and do my thing and let my football do the talking and let people see what I could do on the pitch, and forget what was happening off the pitch.
“It topped it off when I got the two goals on the Saturday and then the three on the Tuesday. That was the best part of it.”
“My head was fine perfectly fine..”
Robinson’s Ireland teammates rallied around him, for which he praised their efforts in doing so.
“First of all, we are all human,” he added. “It wasn’t even a conversation of whether I was right for the Saturday, it was just, ‘How are you, are you okay, we are here for you if you need anything’.
“From the staff to the players, they all just wanted to make sure I was okay, not for the game, just to make sure my head was alright. And honestly, my head was fine. Perfectly fine.
“This comes with football. As I said, I just wanted to produce for the boys and for the staff over those two games, because they were there for me if I actually needed them.
“But I did feel like I was fine and I just went to crack on and do my thing on the pitch. I’m happy that did happen in those two games.”
This is the way we play 🤩
The third goal tonight scored by Callum Robinson which ensured victory for the Boys in Green 🇮🇪#COYBIG | #WeAreOne | #LUXIRLpic.twitter.com/C9FiWleinN
— FAIreland ⚽️🇮🇪 (@FAIreland) November 14, 2021
“It’s done now. So we just move on.”