Paul Fennessy

THERE HAS been plenty of doom and gloom associated with Irish football, north and south of the border, in recent years.

Neither country has qualified for a major tournament since Euro 2016, when both reached the knockout stages.

The teams’ struggles have generally been due to the limitations of the players available.

Both are countries with small populations, of course, but the production line has also been hindered by severely limited resources.

Yet football doesn’t get much more elite than Liverpool v Real Madrid. The latter’s manager, Xabi Alonso, described the contest as a “Clasico of European football” on the eve of the game.

And the fact that a man from Tyrone, Conor Bradley, was one of the 22 players lining out for the encounter was a reminder that, for all the pessimism that has dominated Irish football in the last decade, this island is still capable of producing elite players.

And not only did Bradley (who the FAI famously missed out on) not look out of place — he was a candidate for man of the match.

The 22-year-old has not had it easy by any means since breaking into the Liverpool first-team in the 2023-24 season, having been named Bolton Wanderers’ Player of the Year the previous campaign amid an impressive loan spell.

Until this season, despite several creditable performances for the Reds, he was widely regarded as a back-up option to Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Following the Real Madrid-bound full-back’s departure, Arne Slot’s decision to buy Netherlands right-back Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen for €35 million suggested the manager did not believe Bradley was good enough to hold down a regular first-team spot.

And one of the reasons cited for Liverpool’s recent dramatic drop in form was the absence of Alexander-Arnold, and particularly his fruitful partnership with Egyptian superstar Mo Salah, who has unexpectedly struggled like so many at Anfield this year.

And Bradley has been used somewhat sparingly by Slot.

Of the Northern Ireland international’s seven starts in all competitions, he has been substituted at half-time in the defeats to Chelsea and Crystal Palace, while being hauled off in the 62nd minute of the losses against Man United and Brentford.

The last two matches — wins over Aston Villa and Real Madrid — are just the second and third times Bradley has completed 90 minutes this season (the other was the victory over Everton in September).

It is partly the result of Frimpong’s absence through injury, but perhaps a sign of Slot’s growing trust in Bradley.

And the right-back rewarded his manager’s faith with an accomplished display.

Bradley didn’t do anything especially fancy, but did the basics really well, in a manner that was somewhat reminiscent of another much-admired and underrated Irish-born Liverpool full-back, Steve Finnan.

Finnan, like Bradley, initially appeared to be a second choice at Anfield in the early days of the Rafa Benitez era, after Josemi became the manager’s first signing, only for the Spaniard to be eclipsed by the Limerick native who went on to play a pivotal role in Liverpool’s remarkable Champions League-winning campaign, featuring over 200 times for the Reds in total.

Bradley, granted, still has plenty of work to do if he is to usurp Frimpong, but he will have done his cause no harm with his eye-catching display on Tuesday evening.

What was most impressive was how Bradley kept Vinícius Júnior so quiet.

The Brazilian is renowned as one of the world’s best attackers and finished second in the 2024 Ballon d’Or behind Rodri, yet his opponent made him look like just an ordinary, flighty, inconsistent winger, such was his superiority on the night.

The Alexander-Arnold narrative inevitably dominated the build-up to the Liverpool-Madrid clash.

A mural featuring the Madrid star was vandalised just hours ahead of the 27-year-old’s return to his boyhood club.

And the full-back, not forgiven by many supporters for leaving the club at the peak of his powers on a free transfer, was loudly booed every time he touched the ball.

Yet in the end, the Alexander-Arnold story was reduced to a footnote.

The England international was introduced in the 81st minute, which was not enough time for him to influence the play.

Liverpool were more dominant than the 1-0 scoreline suggested and would have won by a more comfortable margin were it not for the heroics of Thibaut Courtois — the man ESPN hailed as the world’s best goalkeeper last June.

Even in this esteemed company, Bradley excelled — his gutsiness and physicality epitomised all that was impressive about a Liverpool side that looked back to their best.

For all the talk of new signings’ impact or lack thereof, just two of the Reds’ 10 outfield starters were acquired in the summer.

This back-to-basics approach (admittedly somewhat necessitated by injuries) and Slot’s increased reliance on tried-and-trusted performers like Bradley partially explains their resurgence.

And the one-time Aghyaran St Davog’s GAA player’s ascension is also a timely reminder that Ireland is still capable of producing great players, even when paltry finances and facilities have suggested otherwise.