Northern Ireland defender Conor Bradley was recognized as one of the most promising young players in the 2021/22 season, playing in the Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup with Liverpool’s first team.
Last season, he spent time with Bolton, where he made over 50 appearances and showed remarkable development. This season, he was assigned as a reserve for Trent Alexander-Arnold, but was sidelined by injury for the first half of the season.
However, when he returned to the team last December, he played very well against strong opponents such as Chelsea and Fulham, and has now been promoted to a regular role without any hesitation.
The 20-year-old side-back, who has the potential to become a star player in Northern Ireland, cited former Wales international Gareth Bale as a player he looked up to when he was a child and confessed that he idolized him.
“He was my idol growing up,”
“He was someone I watched quite a lot. He got his big move to Real Madrid and Wales are a small nation, but he did so well for Wales and was their best player for so many years.
“I was a winger as well so he was someone I looked up to.”
“He was an unbelievable player and some of the stuff on the pitch he did was magnificent,”
“He was one of the best in the world at that stage, so I really enjoyed watching him play. It’s nice to get little comparisons like that, but I still think I have a long way to go to do what he’s done. It’s nice, but I’m still learning my trade.”
The Telegraph
After joining the ranks of world-class players at Tottenham Hotspur, the former Welsh winger joined Real Madrid in exchange for a large sum of money.
He won titles, including three consecutive Champions League titles, but injuries and off-the-field behavior gradually took him out of the game, and he was obsessed with golf from the time he was a player.
Even after his career went downhill, he remained a key player for his country’s full national team. He established himself as an absolute scorer. In his prime, he was a dominant performer, and it is no wonder why Bradley admired him so much.
Although he now plays as a right back, he has shown his versatility by playing in the middle of the field or as a right winger during games. The player talked about the importance of being a utility player and expressed his desire to play in a new position.
“It is massive to be versatile,”
“Trent is an unbelievable footballer and I think he could play pretty much anywhere. There are so many things I can take from him.”
“It helps the manager to pick you when he knows you can play in certain positions. I am pretty versatile myself. I played as a winger all the way up through youth football and I was deployed to play there the other night for Northern Ireland and really enjoyed it.”
“I enjoy the challenge of playing new positions and learning about them.”
The Telegraph