The corner kick, after which the score in the Champions League semi-final between Liverpool and Barcelona became 4-0, is definitely one of the most powerful football moments in recent years. Everyone remembers Trent Alexander-Arnold’s sudden serve and Divock Origi’s hit – and also the ball boy who threw the ball so timely to Trent. Almost three years have passed – it’s time to find out what Oakley Cannonier is doing now. Shortly before the legendary match at Anfield, Cannonier turned 15 years old. According to the English media, before the match with Barça, Karl Lancaster, who coaches at the club’s academy and coordinates the ball boys, gave the instructions to his guys: to pass the ball to the Liverpool players as quickly as possible with standards. The fact is that the club’s analysts have noticed that the Catalans often turn off after the referee’s whistle – they argue, even if there is nothing to argue with. In general, Oakley did what he was asked – and became one of the main characters of a fantastic comeback. By that time, he had already played for several years for the youth teams of Liverpool, where he moved at the age of 11 from the Leeds academy. Cannonier was again remembered in the summer of 2021 – Liverpool announced that the guy had signed a professional contract and would play for the U18 team.
Details regarding the story and plot
The first season at this level is simply magical. Oakley is a striker and currently has 32 goals in all competitions. Including two hat-tricks, and one of them against Manchester United. He has also been called up to the England U17 team. “Oakley started the season very well, but I was not surprised. I worked with him from the age of 14, and he always did well, ”coach Mark Bridge-Wilkinson said about him in the fall. Recently, Oakley was asked what he thought of that Trent assist. “It’s still a little crazy.But if you look at what Trent has achieved, I would like to do the same. I don’t want to be just a legendary ballboy, you know?”, is a solid answer for a 17-year-old. And a short story about Cannonier’s ambitions. Last year, Liverpool’s academy players were asked to fill out a questionnaire, which included a question about how they see their career in the future. What did Oakley write? “I’ll win five Ballon d’Or!”