During the last few years, Liverpool fans have been getting excited about a young Irish goalkeeper making his way through the ranks.
His name is Caoimhin Kelleher… and you won't be forgetting it anytime soon.
The 23-year-old is set to start the Reds' League Cup final against Chelsea on February 27, the biggest game of his blossoming career to date.
"Caoimhin will play, if he is fit," revealed Jurgen Klopp in January. "As a football manager you have to consider a lot of things and one of the things is we consider Caoimhin an outstanding goalie.
"Not a good goalie, an outstanding goalie, and we want to keep him here… he has shown he deserves all the trust and faith that we have in him.
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"I didn’t think about it properly, but my idea in this moment is to play him. I don’t see any reason why we should not do that. Caoimhin deserves that. He brought the team there."
And that much is true. Kelleher has done brilliantly in his three League Cup outings this term, keeping a clean sheet against Norwich and producing two superb saves in the shootout win against Leicester.
It was his save against Arsenal, though, that really caught the eye. The youngster produced an excellent one-handed stop to deny Martin Odegaard with the semi-final tie level at 0-0.
Fellow goalkeeper Alisson may be Liverpool's undisputed No1, yet it was Kelleher’s display that guaranteed them a first Wembley cup final in six years. He deserves to play.
Kelleher's journey to the top started nearly two decades ago, when he was a youngster at Ringmahon Rangers – a local football club based in Cork.
But he wasn't a shot stopper. The two-cap Republic of Ireland international started his footballing career outfield, banging in goals at youth-team level.
"He started at U5s or U6s in our academy and worked his way up," Sean Fitzgerald, Ringmahon’s club secretary, tells Mirror Football .
"He was a striker; he only went in goal from U14s up. He was only a goalkeeper for three seasons before he signed for Liverpool. He used to score 20, 30 goals-a-season before he went in goal."
It's not unusual for goalkeepers to start outfield – perhaps even common these days – as more and more Premier League clubs expect their stopper to use their feet.
The experience of playing up front, however, helps Kelleher read the game. He understands the art of striking, a source of confusion for many of his goalkeeping colleagues.
"He has the instincts, he’s one step ahead all of the time," adds Fitzgerald. "You will see it when the ball bounces in the box, he’s on to it straight away. He knows which way the striker is going to go."
Kelleher joined Liverpool in 2015, leaving Ringmahon as a champion after winning the Cork Youth U17 Premier League in his final game for the club.
Since then, he's made 15 senior appearances for the Reds and was part of the squad that lifted the Champions League in May 2019 and the Premier League title 12 months later.
It's wonderful for everyone associated with Ringmahon to see Kelleher lift the biggest trophies at one of Europe’s finest clubs, yet it's particularly special for avid Liverpool fan Fitzgerald.
"There was just something about him," continues the club secretary. "There were clubs in England showing interest from him at U16s.
" Manchester United were on to us, then Aston Villa, but he had his heart set on Liverpool… there the biggest club in the world, so you have to go for them. I say that because I’m a Liverpool fan!
"It’s unbelievable to see. All the kids [are inspired], when we put stuff on social media and they hear his name. Especially back in Cork, everyone mentions Kelleher and Ringmahon Rangers [together]."
On the Champions League final win, Fitzgerald adds: "It’s something for the history books.
"We’re only a small club – a local club – and when you see a local lad doing something like that, it’s the stuff dreams are made of."
And, after playing a supporting role in Liverpool’s recent triumphs, Kelleher now has the chance to be the leading man against Chelsea and end their 10-year wait for a Wembley win.
Fitzgerald can’t wait for the final – and is even hoping to get his hands on a ticket for the big day.
"A few of the lads are on about getting tickets and going over to London," he reveals. "When you see one of your own playing in a final at Wembley – the history of that stadium – it’s amazing."
February 27 promises to be a day Kelleher – and Ringmahon Rangers – will never forget.
