From a 14-year-old playing up front in the Cork Schoolboys League to keeping Champions League clean sheets, Caoimhin Kelleher’s journey to becoming Liverpool’s likely second choice goalkeeper has been unusual.
The flowing blonde hair and slight physique haven’t changed much, but Kelleher has progressed remarkably since the day when fortune placed him in goal for the U14 side at Ringmahon Rangers.
It was a quirk of fate brought about only when his teammate, Ringmahon’s regular stopper, quit playing football altogether. Kelleher’s father, who had seen him training between the sticks, convinced coach Eddie Harrington to try out their star forward – though it took a little persuading.
“Eddie said ‘we’re not putting him in goal, he’s our striker! He scores 20 goals a season,” club secretary Sean Fitzgerald tells i.
“He was a striker, banging in goals non-stop. His father said ‘I think he’d do very well for you’ and the manager was a bit reluctant. It’s like putting Mohamed Salah in goal! But they put Caoimhín in goal and the rest is history.”
On paper, the 22-year-old’s change of position might sound surprising, but it goes some way towards explaining why he was so comfortable in possession in the Reds’ 1-0 win over Ajax on Tuesday night.
Kelleher’s remarkable journey
If anything, his own history outfield helped him work out his opponents. “He knew exactly where the forward was going to shoot, what he was going to do.” Fitzgerald adds. “He used to start from midfield, he had it all. Out on the wing, up front, he had the pace.”
Those attributes meant it wasn’t only Liverpool who took notice early on, courtesy of their extensive scouting network in Ireland. The first recognition came from Cork’s select team, but it took just three years of youth football before the Premier League giants made their approach.
Alisson Becker has since been impressed by his composure in training. Indeed, Kelleher may look a natural, but it was far from inevitable which sport he would pursue when he played hurling and Gaelic football for Blackrock, Cork’s local side.
That was one family tradition, but he ultimately ended up following in the footsteps of older brother Fiacre. First picked up by Celtic, the defender now plays for Wrexham in the National League.
If it was a fortuitous stroke of luck which turned the younger Kelleher into a goalkeeper in the first place, then it was another unexpected opportunity that handed him his European debut.
Alisson’s injury and a number of errors from back-up Adrian gave the Republic of Ireland youth international his chance and after such an impressive display, he can now look forward to being Jurgen Klopp’s second choice on a more regular basis.
The Liverpool boss said it was his “natural footballing ability” which saw him selected over the more experienced Adrian, who is out of contract at the end of the season. Nullifying Ajax’s pressing and making a handful of stunning saves, Klopp will be keen to protect Kelleher, but he could well keep his place when the champions host Wolves on Sunday evening.
“You’re hoping that Caoimhín now will be number two and that pushing on from this he gets the No 1 jersey for Ireland,” Fitzgerald says. “The whole of Cork, even people that weren’t Liverpool fans before were supporting Liverpool the other night. For a young player getting his Champions League debut, it was fairytale stuff.”
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from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/36H4jtu
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