The ball boy that played a crucial part in one of the most dramatic nights in Champions League history is making a name for himself, four years on.
It will go down as one of the all-time great European games. On the evening of May 7, 2019, Liverpool pulled off the seemingly impossible when they overturned a three goal deficit at Anfield to beat a full-strength Barcelona side.
Anfield crackled with anticipation like never before as goals from Divock Origi (2) and Gini Wijnaldum (2) handed the Reds a place in the Champions League final.
Origi, who would often pop up with a goal when Liverpool needed it most, scored the fourth and final goal that night after Trent Alexander-Arnold spotted a lapse of concentration from the Barcelona backline with a ‘corner taken quickly’.
But seconds before Origi’s close range strike, the handy work of youngster Oakley Cannonier allowed the instinctive Trent to deliver a pin-point assist.
As you can see in the footage below, the sharp-thinking ball boy was quick off the mark when the ball went out of play, delivering another to Alexander-Arnold in lightning quick time.
Quick thinking from Alexander-Arnold – and just as quick from the ballboy. 🧠
Everyone plays their part to take Liverpool to Madrid. pic.twitter.com/qOMBOsCwez
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) May 8, 2019
Since that famous night at Anfield, the highly-rated Cannonier has continued to impress on the field. He scored his first goal for Liverpool U18’s shortly after that night against Barcelona in a pre-season game against Burton Albion and two years on, he earned a professional contract with the Premier League club.
Cannonier, who joined the Reds as an U12 player from his hometown team Leeds, went on to score more than 40 goals for Liverpool under-18s last season.
He carried on that form in the early stages of this campaign, netting seven times in four UEFA Youth League games.
The youngster has, however, been plagued with injuries of late, meaning he has missed the majority of the season.
Still, he already has a handful of caps at international level for England‘s U15, U16, U18 and U19 teams under his belt. In fact, he has already trained with Liverpool’s first-team.
Oakley Cannonier for Liverpool in the Premier League U-18 this season:
☑️23 games
⚽️29 goalsThe most famous ballboy in Europe is having an amazing season! 🔴 pic.twitter.com/kiubYC4C2h
— Football Talent Scout – Jacek Kulig (@FTalentScout) April 19, 2022
During that training session, Jurgen Klopp came over to thank him for his contribution on that famous night at Anfield.
Cannonier told Liverpool’s official website in 2022: “I trained with the first team a few weeks ago and the boss came up to me and he was like, ‘I just need to thank you’ for what I did.”
Speaking about his involvement in Origi’s winner, he added: “Liverpool were obviously getting beat, so the assistant manager told our coach Carl that the ball needs to be in rapid for the intensity of the game and stuff because we were 3-0 down.
“Everything had to be quick and you had to get the ball back on the pitch.
“I went to school the next day and all the Liverpool fans in our school were just coming up to me and going, ‘You won us the game!’ I had to go in a different room because there were so many people coming up to me.
“It still is a bit mad. People getting in touch on social media calling me a Liverpool legend.”
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