The man who has slowed the relentless cap accumulation of Chris Gunter plans on getting many more of his own for Wales.
Connor Roberts is set to line up alongside Gunter in Albania, where Gunter will be given the nod to earn his 93rd cap, so breaking the national record of former goalkeeper Neville Southall.
In a breakthrough year for club and country, Roberts has become a Swansea City regular and ousted Gunter from the regular right-back spot at international level.
But as he prepares to win his eighth cap in Tuesday’s friendly in Elbasan, he admits that his story could have been so different after a disastrous 2017 loan spell at Middlesbrough.
Roberts made only one league appearance during a nightmare six month stay on Teesside, and self-doubt crept in as his career stalled hundreds of miles away from family and friends.
“It was very dark days at Middlesbrough,” Roberts said. “I was questioning whether I was good enough to play in the Championship.
“I doubted myself. I used to go home from training, lie on my bed and think ‘what is going on?’
“Even before that, when I was at Bristol Rovers and didn’t get a game or a look in, I questioned whether I would just have a career plodding along in League Two.
“Since I came back from Middlesbrough, things have gone much better quite quickly and really turned around.
“There have been a lot of transitions all over my life, I think I’ve adapted well and now I need to keep on performing and keep on getting better.”
Neath-born Roberts was a late developer and nearly 23 by the time he made the first team at Swansea, where he has been since the age of nine.
Roberts’ rise at club level coincided with a call up into Ryan Giggs’ Wales squad and he made his debut at the China Cup in March.
Since then Roberts has become a regular starter and scored his first Wales goal in September’s 4-1 Nations League victory over the Republic of Ireland.
Yet it was little more than two years ago that Roberts was down on his luck and unable to watch Wales play at Euro 2016 in France.
“I couldn’t afford a ticket to watch the games,” said Roberts, who is out of contract at the end of the season and attracting interest from Celtic among others.
“I watched on TV wearing my (Wales) under-21s jersey with family and friends.
“But hopefully next time they can be in the stands and I can be on the pitch.
“We’ve got the (Euro 2020) qualifiers next year and there are a lot of positive signs with so many talented players coming through.
“If we listen to the gaffer and get some luck along the way, there’s no reason we can’t be there.”
Wales are short on defenders in Albania with Ben Davies, Neil Taylor, Paul Dummett, James Chester and Ethan Ampadu all ruled out.
So Roberts and Gunter are likely to line up together in Elbasan, with the Reading defender set to make his 93rd appearance and become the most capped player in Welsh football history.
“I saw a stat where Gunts had only missed one game in eight years,” Roberts said.
“It’s mad to think a player who is playing at the highest level can go all that time without getting injured or have a dip in form.
“I’ve grown up supporting Wales and little did I know I would be battling for his position. But there’s no hard feelings, we support each other whoever plays.”
