Caoimhin Kelleher Biography; Liverpool’s Irish Goalkeeper

The arrival of

from Roma in a record £65m transfer in 2018-19 means that Liverpool's chronic goalkeeper woes have finally been dealt with as Jurgen Klopp found a solution to a long-running problem in the goalkeeping position of the club. the form of Brazil number one makes the position his own at Anfield in the coming years.

However, despite the Reds having one of the best goalkeepers in the world in their ranks, but they also have one eye on the future with the 22-year-old shot-stopper, Caoimhin Kelleher, who achieved his position as the backup goalkeeper by progressing through the ranks.

With Alisson’s injuries and errors of Adrian, Kelleher made a perfect back-up for the Reds in the goal in the 2020-21 season. Kelleher made his Champions League and Premier League debuts in quick succession, as he deputized for the injured Alisson Becker and kept clean sheets in wins over

and Wolverhampton Wanderers respectively, being named the man of the match in both of them.

Here, in

Caoimhin Kelleher bio

, we gather everything you must know about the Ireland international goalkeeper.

All You Need to Know About Caoimhin Kelleher Biography

Narrating

Caoimhin Kelleher life story

, we will take a look at the 22-year-old goalkeeper's career and his life inside and outside the pitch.

The youngster has already earned two Ireland senior appearances and been a regular on the bench for Liverpool and whenever it was a need, he provided a perfect backup for their Brazilian goalkeeper, Alisson Becker.

Caoimhin Kelleher Information

Caoimhin Kelleher date of birth

is 23 November 1998, and here are some basic facts about the Irish goalkeeper.

• Full name: Caoimhín Odhrán Kelleher

• Nickname: Octopus

Personal information

• Date of birth: 23 November 1998

• Zodiac sign: Sagittarius

• Place of birth: Cork, Ireland

• Religion: Christian

• Mother’s name: Jacqueline Kelleher

• Father’s name: Ray Kelleher

• Nationality: Irish

• Marital status: Dating

• Girlfriend: Eimear Murphy

Body Measurements

• Hair color: Blonde

• Eye color: Blue

• Height: 1.88 m

• Weight: 71 kg

• Body Type: Athletic

Caoimhin Kelleher Early Life

Being born in Cork, Ireland,

Caoimhin Kelleher nationality

is Irish, and he’s the youngest of the five sons of his father, Ray, and mother, Jacqueline.

The younger brother of fellow footballer, Fiacre Kelleher, the Irish started his football career during his early ages as a striker.

Caoimhin Kelleher childhood

narrates him playing as Ringmahon Rangers Under-14 striker. Being prepared to take on Corinthian Boys early in the 2011-12 season, a chance discussion on the sideline that day changed Caoimhin’s future forever. Stephen Bermingham, who has an impressive track record as a coach, bumped into Kelleher’s mother Jacqueline.

Having already coached Caoimhin’s older brother, Fiacre, Corinthians Park, Bermingham advised Kelleher’s mother to change his position and become a goalkeeper.

Being involved in the FAI’s Emerging Talent Programme for a number of weeks, Caoimhin became a subject of interest to Ringmahon. Bermingham says of the goalkeeper: “Because he was a striker himself, he was able to anticipate what a striker was going to do.”

His late father, Ray, pursued Claire Byrne to give a chance at Ringmahon to his son, Caoimhin. After having trials at Blackburn and Aston Villa in England, the Corkman ultimately signed for the Merseyside giants in 2015, when he was 17.

Caoimhin Kelleher Profile

Caoimhin Kelleher biography

takes its peak when he signed a contract for Liverpool Academy. He featured regularly for Liverpool's side during their pre-season programme of 2018 and was part of the squad that traveled to the United States for Liverpool's summer tour, awarding him a new contract with the club in August 2018.

He made his official debut for the club on 25 September 2019 in an EFL Cup Third Round match, keeping a clean sheet against League One side

, in a 2–0 away win.

By the time he was on the bench for Liverpool’s Champions League clash against Napoli, Jurgen Klopp was already aware of the Irishman’s talents, as well as his backstory. The German said then:

“Outstanding… he is very cool with the ball. He played in front of 100,000 people in a pre-season game, he has played in front of 60,000 — so he isn’t really bothered about that. (It’s) a very important skill.”

By winning the Champions League trophy that year, Kelleher became the 12th Irishman who has won the trophy in history.

In absence of Alisson Becker on 1 December 2020, Kelleher started and kept a clean sheet in a 1–0 victory against Ajax in the Champions League before being named in the starting line-up for a Premier League match against Wolverhampton Wanderers five days later.

With a strong performance in 6 appearances he made for the Reds that season, Jürgen Klopp confirmed that Kelleher had been promoted to second choice, behind Alisson and ahead of Adrián.

The Irishman signed a long-term contract with the club on 24 June 2021 as the club was eager to develop his talents for the future.

On 8 June 2021, Kelleher made his senior Ireland debut, coming on as a half-time substitute against Hungary in a 0-0 draw as well as starting a friendly against Qatar in October.

Style of Play

Continuing through the

Caoimhin Kelleher biography

, here we analyze Kelleher’s style of play. Caoimhín Kelleher may have only started one senior game in his career, but it is not an exaggeration to say he could potentially transform how the Ireland team plays if all goes to plan with his career.

During Ireland Under-21s’ goalless draw with Italy at Tallaght Stadium, Kelleher helped set up two chances with his excellent distribution. The Cork-native found

with a stunning pass. He dropped the ball from his hands and hit a wonderful half-volley 60 yards up the pitch, reaching Idah, who almost fashioned a goalscoring chance.

Kelleher’s passing accuracy was also evident in September’s Under-21 fixture against

. The Cork-native started the move that led to Troy Parrott scoring the only goal of the game, playing a deft pass to Darragh Leahy at left-back.

Previously playing as striker could have long-term benefits for the Irish senior team. Kelleher’s grounding as a forward makes him ideal for his new role – the modern goalkeeper is essentially an outfield player with gloves on.

In addition to his skills on the ball, Kelleher is also confident and composed, which was his ultimate advantage to Adrian when he became Liverpool’s backup goalkeeper.

Reception

Being nicknamed Pride of Cork by major journals, many believe that Kelleher has what it takes to ensure the future of Ireland and Liverpool at the goalpost in the future.

Being already hailed by

and Jamie Carragher for his performances last year, he also has a place in Jurgen Klopp’s plans for the future. The German told about the Irish goalkeeper last year:

“Now, in this game, we needed the football paying ability, the natural football playing ability of Caoimhin. And because he’s a really good shot-stopper as well, we made that decision.

“Then you never know how a boy… they’re all calm in the moment when they get the information but there’s a difference then to being on the pitch. I’m really happy

with how he dealt with it, how calm he was, and how good he was.”

Liverpool and Ireland icon, John Aldridge, believes that Kelleher will be Ireland’s #1 eventually, ahead of Manchester City’s Gavin Bazunu. He said earlier:

“Young Gavin Bazunu has done well for Ireland boss Stephen Kenny in recent months, but Kelleher is operating at a different level to the teenage Man City stopper who has yet to play in the Premier League.

“Meanwhile, Kelleher is the second pick to the best keeper in the world. That’s a great position for the 22-year-old from Cork to be.”

Goal Celebration

Well, unlike his compatriot, Alisson, Kelleher has never scored a goal.

Caoimhin Kelleher Outside Football

In this part of Caoimhin Kelleher biography, we take a look at the Irish goalkeeper’s life outside the pitch.

Reportedly, only a bit of lost sleep is the only lifestyle change Caoimhin Kelleher has noticed in this progressive season of him as he’s fully concentrated on his football career.

He says on his outside football life and his ambition for Irish dancing:

"My girlfriend always says to me, 'Nothing fazes you.' She kind of just laughs at me because I'm always just so chilled. I've always had that trait with me.

"My girlfriend is very good at Irish dancing, so I've been trying to learn a bit of that," the No.62 reveals. "I used to do it at school back home, so I've been trying to pick it up because I want to learn it again.

"I've actually been getting on quite good at it, so one day I want to be able to do a full dance or something like that.”

Caoimhin Kelleher Personal Life

Being born in a Christian family,

Caoimhin Kelleher religion

is Christianity. The Liverpool goalkeeper comes from an athlete family. His older brother,

, plays currently for Bradford City as he had spells in Celtic and Oxford United.

His other three older brothers play hurling, which is one of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goals, the number of players, and much terminology.

His first name, which was a subject of joke by Gary Lineker after his brilliant display against Wolverhampton Wanderers, is the Irish equivalent to the English name Kevin and it is pronounced ' Kwee-Veen'.

Family, Children and Relationships

Kelleher is in a long-time happy relationship with Eimear Murphy, who is a professional Irish dancer.

His parents were very supportive of their youngest son as they pushed him through his early career. His older brother, Fiacre, plays currently for Bradford City as he had spells in Celtic and

. His other three older brothers play hurling professionally.

Philanthropy

For Standard Chartered Foundation, Kelleher donated his signed shirt which was eventually auctioned for £1,100.

The Standard Chartered Foundation tackles inequality by promoting greater economic inclusion for disadvantaged young people from low-income households, particularly girls and people with visual impairments.

The Foundation funds community programs focused on education, employability, entrepreneurship, and eye health. It is the lead delivery partner for Futuremakers by Standard Chartered, a global initiative to empower the next generation to learn, earn and grow.

Legal Issues

There are no recorded legal issues concerning Liverpool’s young goalkeeper.

Caoimhin Kelleher Career Statistics

Here, in this part of Caoimhin Kelleher biography, we take a look at the youngster’s stats for the Ireland Republic and Liverpool.

Despite making few appearances, the Irishman has kept a lot of clean sheets in those few.

Club

In a total of 9 senior appearances for

’s side, which the latest came this season in Premier League against Norwich, Kelleher has kept 5 clean-sheets and has conceded 8 goals, which is an incredible record for the young goalkeeper.

International

Making his senior Ireland debut coming on as a half-time substitute against Hungary in a 0-0 draw, Kelleher made his other Ireland appearance in their 4-0 friendly victory over

last month.

Speaking at a press conference, Ireland manager Stephen Kenny said:

"Caoimhin is a really natural goalkeeper. He's such a terrific talent. He played 10 times for me as U21s manager, so I'm well aware of his qualities and he's done terrifically.”

Caoimhin Kelleher Honors

Finally, in this last part of

Caoimhin Kelleher biography

, we take a look at his achievements which are astonishing considering his age.

Winning a UEFA Champions League with Liverpool in the 2018–19 and adding a UEFA Super Cup next year, the 22-year-old has also won a Premier League title with the Reds in the 2019-20 season.

Kelleher is optimistic about his future with Liverpool. He said earlier last month:

"I'm just trying to take it day by day at the minute; when I do get games for Liverpool, to put in good performances and show that I am capable of playing at that level.

"I’m just trying to keep consistent and keep pushing on, and hopefully one day I’ll get to that level.

"You have to have that mentality and I want to push on and be number one. And hopefully if I get a chance, I’ll take it.”

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