‘He actually taught me things as a coach’ - the rise of Liverpool starlet Bradley

This article was originally published in 2021 to mark Conor Bradley's competitive debut for Northern Ireland.

Joe McAree remembers exactly where he was - and what he was doing - when he first heard Conor Bradley's name.

The man who has been at the forefront of youth football in County Tyrone for almost 50 years was packing up his car at Dungannon United Youth's home ground after the academy he founded had just won another Saturday morning match.

The setting was nothing extraordinary, but he was about to be alerted to an eight-year-old who last month made his competitive debut, aged 18, for both Northern Ireland and Liverpool, becoming the first NI man in 67 years to turn out for the Anfield club.

"Everyone else had gone home when the referee, Adie Laird, approached me," recalled McAree, his words swelling with pride and enthusiasm.

"He said he knew of a player who could make our team even better. 'He's playing for St Patrick's in Castlederg and he's the best I've ever seen. He's eight years old and his name is Conor Bradley.'"

McAree decided the distance was too far for a child so young to have to travel. A strong mental note was made, however, and two years later the youngster reappeared on his renowned scouting radar.

"I was asked to go to a cup final in Omagh to watch Conor playing for St Pat's, who deserve tremendous credit for the start in the game they gave him," he explained.

"Conor played up front that night. He wasn't half the size of the other players because he always played in the age group above. He looked like an excellent player so I made a beeline for his mother, Linda, after the match.

"Linda is a great lady. She handled everything so professionally, in such a calm manner. She didn't need anyone to tell her what Conor needed - she knew exactly what was best for her son. Coming from such a good family is a major reason for him being such a fantastic boy."

McAree had to be patient, however, because Bradley - who this week starred in Liverpool's Champions League win over Real Madrid - opted to join Maiden City, a team closer to home.

Mrs Bradley must have liked what she heard that night in Omagh, though, because two years later her son finally signed for Dungannon.

Again, McAree has a vivid image of his first proper meeting with the boy who went on to sign for Liverpool in 2019.

"What sticks in my head was how he looked me in the eye, how he shook my hand and how he reacted when I spoke to him - a country boy with a down-to-earth personality," explained the man whose academy has seen 37 players come through its ranks and earn moves into the professional game.

"I cannot believe he is now playing right-back, though. He was a forward player for us, spraying the ball around the pitch. His passing was exceptional. His awareness of where to distribute a ball - that was Conor's strength, and he could cover the ground as well."

All the while, Bradley was very much on Liverpool's radar, attending their school of excellence in Belfast on Friday nights as a teenager.

Despite his long time working in youth football, McAree, whose own son Rodney had a spell on Liverpool's books, was struck by the Premier League club's determination to ensure a high standard of football education for their prodigy.

"When Liverpool found out that Conor had joined us, they sent one of their senior coaches across to check out where Conor was playing his football, what the facilities were like as well as the coaching and advice he was getting.

"I've never in my life known any club to do that, but the coach came across, wrote a great report and went back to Liverpool very happy."

Bradley impressed at right-back as a substitute in Northern Ireland's World Cup qualifier draw against Switzerland at Windsor Park in September, and did likewise on his first outing for Liverpool in a League Cup win over Norwich City soon after, despite giving away a penalty.

As a teenager, his talent was such that youth international recognition naturally came along, and he was included in the Irish FA's Club NI programme, aimed at helping prepare elite young footballers for a career in the professional game.

Former Derry City manager Declan Devine was one of the lead coaches in the initiative. He was impressed and flabbergasted in equal measure at what the teenager demanded from himself and those coaching him.

"Conor turned heads immediately with all of the coaches. Right away I was thinking 'who is this kid? Very lightly made up but really aggressive in his appetite to train, get better and make his presence felt, no matter his size," Devine recalled.

"He always wanted feedback - good or bad - and would challenge you as a coach, which I loved. It was almost as if he was looking at me and thinking 'right, what have you got for me, today?'

"If you said something to him, it stuck. You didn't have to repeat instructions to him. In fact, if you changed your concept or ideas, he would be the first to say 'you told me six weeks ago this is what you want me to do'. He actually taught me things as a coach."

Despite having taken over at Derry City just a week before the final match, Devine was still at the helm - along with Gerard Boyle, another coach integral to Bradley's development - when the Northern Ireland Under-16 side won the Victory Shield in November 2018 for only the second time in the country's history.

Bradley, playing in the tournament for the second time, was the obvious choice to captain what was a hugely talented squad.

"Very few kids play up a year in the Victory Shield - Steven Davis is one I can think of - but Conor excelled. In that second year he was a very calming influence within the group - the players all really liked him and respected him.

"They were a very talented group but they could all see that Conor was the fittest and quickest - he had all the attributes you needed to be a top player. He was a natural leader without being someone that shouted and roared."

Former Ipswich Town manager and midfielder Jim Magilton, who won 52 caps for Northern Ireland as a player, saw Bradley up close during his time in the role of elite performance director at the Irish FA.

He said the crunching tackle Bradley made against Switzerland soon after coming off the bench in September's World Cup qualifier, greeted by a huge roar by the Windsor Park crowd, epitomised his competitive attitude. That aggression was on display at Anfield again on Wednesday when Bradley executed a perfectly-timed tackle on Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe.

"The thing about Conor is he is aggressive," said Magilton.

"He tackles. People look at him as this quietly spoken kid but he's got devilment - he couldn't wait to make that tackle against Switzerland. He would line them up and be licking his lips. You could see that toughness in him which I always loved."