Liverpool's Barcelona HERO set to leave the club

Liverpool’s EPIC Champions League semi-final comeback victory against Barcelona in 2019 was thanks in no small part to Oakley Cannonier.

He was the youth team player-turned-ball boy whose lightning reactions facilitated Trent Alexander-Arnold’s “corner taken quickly”, from which Divock Origi scored the fourth and decisive goal on the night.

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Jurgen Klopp’s Reds trailed 3-0 from the first leg at Camp Nou and required an Anfield miracle to get through. That is exactly what they got thanks to Origi and Gini Wijnaldum’s goals and Cannonier put himself into Liverpool folklore with his interventions.

Liverpool’s ball boys were under strict instructions to get the ball back quickly due to a Barcelona weakness for getting back into position slowly.

Of course, Liverpool went on to claim their SIXTH European crown, beating Tottenham in the Champions League final in Madrid.

Oakley Cannonier on trial at Leeds

Cannonier was picked up by Liverpool aged 11 and got as far as Under-21 level for the Reds. A lifelong Red, Cannonier grew up in Leeds, West Yorkshire but was never afraid to wear the No9 shirt of Fernando Torres in his hometown.

Now it seems his Anfield story is at an end with Cannonier back at Leeds U21s on trial.

The 20-year-old forward was on the bench as the Whites went down 2-1 at home to West Ham at Thorp Arch on Monday night. He came off the bench around the hour mark but was powerless to prevent the Irons from picking up the victory in Premier League 2.

Cannonier has suffered extensive injury problems throughout his Liverpool career but has been a reliable goalscorer when fit. He scored 28 goals and made five assists in 26 games for the under-18s in the 2021/22 season. He also fired in 10 goals in 11 games for the under-21s in 2022/23.

Cannonier trains with first team

Earlier this season he was even included among a promising young group of players called up to train with Arne Slot’s first team.

That was a significant boost for a player who had missed almost the entirety of the calendar year due to injury.

If this is to be the end then Cannonier can depart Merseyside a bonafide club legend, having etched his name into the history books that night back in 2019.

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