Ben Woodburn was still four months away from turning 20 as he stood arm-in-arm with Adam Lallana and swayed next to Andy Robertson and James Milner in front of the Liverpool fans in Madrid, with many of their Tottenham counterparts having already left.
While the three more senior players were still in their red Liverpool kits and sporting Champions League winners' medals, Woodburn was in his club training attire, and it was a lanyard around his neck and not a medal.
The 19-year-old hadn't featured for the senior team that season, and nor would he ever again.
The football world had seemed to be at Woodburn's feet when he broke into the Reds picture in Jurgen Klopp's first pre-season in 2016, signing his first professional contract around the same time as his best mate Trent Alexander-Arnold.
After a brief cameo of a debut in the Premier League, Woodburn came off the bench to blast home a goal in front of the Kop against Leeds in the League Cup, becoming the club's youngest goalscorer in the process, a record he still holds.
Seven more appearances would follow in the remainder of the 2016-17 campaign, and alongside Alexander-Arnold it had looked as though Woodburn was primed for a key role in the development of Klopp's side, but then he stalled and he would only play for Liverpool twice more.
It was something you never could have predicted back then, as so special was Woodburn in his youth that Liverpool had broken their own rules for him.
Raised in Tattenhall near Chester, Woodburn's family had asked Liverpool if he could stay at home with them rather than move to club properties near where he was schooled, and the academy in Kirkby.
That was the usual rule that young players were obliged to follow, but Liverpool were happy to make an exception, and also to provide Woodburn with a driver for the daily journey which takes just under an hour.
He had shone in coaching sessions put on by Pep Lijnders, and before the Dutchman's own elevation to the first-team Woodburn was placed in the care of Klopp.
That 2016-17 Reds team was still one that was finding its way under a manager in his first season, but Woodburn was doing enough to start an FA Cup third round tie against Plymouth Argyle and then a Premier League trip to Stoke, where he and Alexander-Arnold both began the game in a much-changed side.
Eligible for Wales through his grandfather, he'd also received a senior international call-up by then too - opting to stick with Wales having enjoyed their youth setup, despite overtures from England.
He would score a stunning goal on his first Wales appearance, becoming the nation's youngest scorer in the process at the beginning of the 2017-18 season, but that would prove to be a campaign of learning for Woodburn as he made just two fleeting substitute appearances for the senior team and was placed under the tutelage of Steven Gerrard with the under-19s.
He would still be seen around the first-team picture, and was an unused substitute for games en route to the Champions League final, memorably appearing back out on the pitch to celebrate with fans alongside Alexander-Arnold in the semi-final in Rome, but somewhere along the line it was decided that he was ready to be loaned out to gain experience, and that's where the issues started.
A temporary move to Championship Sheffield United for 2018-19 just didn't work out amid injuries so it was cut short halfway through, and after again being around the squad but not in it he would move on to League One's Oxford United for 2019-20, but he broke his foot. And then he broke his other foot.
The luckless Woodburn has since had spells on loan at Blackpool and Hearts, playing regular first-team football at the latter and showing that there is still a fine player ready to emerge at the age of 23.
Now with Preston North End in the Championship, having left Liverpool upon the expiration of his contract in the summer, he comes face-to-face with Tottenham again in this Saturday's FA Cup fourth round tie having featured an encouraging 28 times in all competitions for Ryan Lowe's side this season.
It isn't Madrid, but thankfully Woodburn has a far greater chance of getting on the pitch against Spurs this time, and there will be many wishing him well.
