Liverpool have a growing number of international captains that showcases the amount of leaders they have within their squad
Before Conor Bradley was bestowed the honour of becoming captain of his native Northern Ireland, manager Michael O’Neill sought the counsel of those at Liverpool. O’Neill had been weighing up naming the Reds’ right-back as the youngest captain in the nation’s history but wanted to assess what those who see the defender more regularly felt about the prospect.
The feedback was positive, with those who O’Neill spoke to feeling Bradley was more than equipped to handle the pressure that comes with wearing the armband for your country. Even as a deputy to Trent Alexander-Arnold, Bradley has ample experience dealing with expectations and demands of a club as ambitious as Liverpool, so it was decided that the 21-year-old had the temperament for it.
With stalwarts like With Steven Davis, Stuart Dallas and Jonny Evans no longer playing international football, Bradley was given the honour for Saturday’s goalless draw in Belarus and at the age of 21, he is poised to lead his nation out for the long term, provided he maintains his form and fitness.
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“I captained youth teams before,” said Bradley. “I think I was captain all the way from Under-13s to 16s or 17s so I have previous with being Northern Ireland captain and I’m really proud.
“It’s going to be a really good night, and hopefully we can cap it off with a result to make it a really special night. I’ve just told my mum and my girlfriend. They just said they’re very proud of me, a massive well done. I’m really happy and I can’t wait for tomorrow now.”
The year 2024 will be one Bradley will never forget. From breaking into the Liverpool side and impressing on a regular basis at the turn of the year in the absence of an injured Alexander-Arnold, the defender has also had to deal with the death of his father at what was perhaps the height of his form under Jurgen Klopp in early February.
He also played a vital part in the side that won the Carabao Cup against Chelsea at Wembley later that month before furthering his career at Anfield with more appearances in the closing weeks of Klopp’s historic reign.
The international armband is just further recognition of what is an incredibly promising career and he now becomes the sixth international captain at Anfield, joining his more experienced colleagues of Virgil van Dijk (Netherlands), Andy Robertson (Scotland), Dominik Szoboszlai (Hungary), Wataru Endo (Japan) and Mohamed Salah (Egypt).
Ibrahima Konate also briefly took the France armband for their 4-1 win over Israel when skipper-for-the-night Aurelien Tchouameni, of Real Madrid, was substituted and Arne Slot will be privately delighted at the growing list of leaders who are emerging at Anfield.
Liverpool’s leadership group has undergone something of a transformation in recent years, from initially being Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Van Dijk and Gini Wijnaldum. Robertson, Alexander-Arnold, as vice-captain, Salah and goalkeeper Alisson Becker have all since been added to the group, while it is also said that Alexis Mac Allister is becoming a growing influence around the camp also.
Speaking about the decision to appoint Van Dijk as club captain and Alexander-Arnold as his deputy once Henderson and Milner had left the club in the summer of 2023, then manager Klopp said: “I think for all the duties a Liverpool captain has to do, I think the first three (Van Dijk, Alexander-Arnold and Robertson) suit better to them.
“And then the other two (Salah and Alisson) can be what they are and always were and can be themselves, help the team in the best possible way and push the team in the best possible way but stay themselves because that’s the player we signed, that’s the player we love and that’s the player we need.”
“Mo, captain of Egypt, one of the best players to ever play for this club. But strikers are different, strikers have to be different – we all benefit from that. So we need him as a role model, we need Mo as the one who leads the line, if you want, who is the first to press, who’s the first to all these things on the pitch.”
While Liverpool‘s squad is generally a youthful one, the number of captains points towards a team whose professionalism, dedication and leadership qualities are all strong and people at the club might even tell you that themselves, just like they did over Bradley to O’Neill.
