“Every time I get a call, I text my mom, my dad, my wife and say, ‘I got a call again.’
“They say, well, did you expect that you wouldn’t do it or anything? But it’s still a proud moment.
It will come as no surprise to anyone if Connor Roberts joins his Welsh teammates in Riga on Monday night, but despite being close to his 50th cap, the former Swansea City star is still taking nothing for granted.
In fact, despite his confident performances on the field over the past five years, Roberts always felt like he had something to prove.
As he struggled to make it with his beloved Swans, a series of difficult loan spells left Roberts awake at night wondering.
whether he would make it as a footballer, let alone become one of his country’s biggest stars.
Over the course of three years, Roberts found himself watching from the sidelines, haunted by doubts about his own abilities.
He openly admits that it was a dark chapter in his career, and that the emotional scars from that period clearly still run deep.
He also makes this latest potential milestone even sweeter.
“When I was at Yeovil things weren’t really going well,” he recalls. “I was in League Two and then I went to League One [with Bristol Rovers] and I didn’t play. I played three matches in six months.
“Then I went to Middlesbrough and it was the same thing. There were many times at Middlesbrough and Bristol when I sat in bed miles from my family and thought maybe I wasn’t good enough to be a footballer.
“Now I sit here, I have played almost 50 international matches for my country and no one can take that away from me.” This is why I am proud of myself and I hope my friends and family are too.
“The more I can play and the more little triumphs I can have, the better.”
“I’m not very young anymore, but I’ve experienced a lot in a short time. I didn’t really make my breakthrough after Swansea until I was 22. I think in six or seven years I’ve already accomplished a lot, so I’m proud of myself.
“I have to keep trying to make myself even more proud, I think.”
Having finally made his debut for the Swans in the Premier League in 2018 under Carlos Carvalhal, Roberts would naturally develop rapidly, playing his first game for Wales in the China Cup just over 100 days later.
But despite all the successes he’s achieved since then, the man affectionately known as “Crynant Cafu” still seems to live in fear that this dream could suddenly end at any moment, meaning his enthusiasm for every milestone in his Advancing years it remains absolutely flawless. .
For him the red jersey is still as special and appreciated as when he wore it for the first time five years ago.
“It’s still brilliant,” he says. “And when I started playing for Wales, from my second, third and fourth cap, I always asked myself: can I imagine how incredible it would be to get 50 caps.
“So hopefully I can achieve that. And that would be incredible. That first training camp, the first time I got called up, was a bit surreal, to be honest.
I’d only played a handful of games for Swansea. “A few months earlier I wasn’t playing at Middlesbrough and I absolutely hated my life.
“And a few months later I got called up, I went to China and managed to get on the pitch. It’s a distant memory now. Luckily I’ve played many times in the Wales shirt since then.”
If he plays on Monday, it’s unlikely Roberts will actually get involved in the occasion.
Despite him playing his part in Thursday’s admirable draw against South Korea, Wales have work to do to get their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign back on track.
Defeats against Turkey and, even worse, at home to Armenia have put pressure on Rob Page and perhaps the rest of the team in recent weeks.
But after overcoming so many obstacles to get to this point, Roberts clearly relishes the challenge and is well placed to put it all into perspective.
“I’ve been to a lot of big matches. We must remember where we come from. And if we lose, that’s not the solution. Life still goes on. Nobody died. And we must move forward.
“It’s a huge game. But for me personally it’s just a football match. “I’m going to go out there and give absolutely everything for my country and for myself.”
