The manager of Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp has described the club’s second-choice goalkeeper, Caoimhin Kelleher as the best number two in the world after helping the club to win their 9th Carabao Cup title on Sunday, February 27, 2022.
On the said date, Liverpool and Chelsea met at the Wembley Stadium for the final of the Carabao Cup. The two teams failed to score each other in regular time and in extra time due to beautiful saves from Caoimhin Kelleher of Liverpool and Edouard Mendy of Chelsea.
Unlike Mendy that was not used in the preliminary stages of the Carabao Cup this season, coach Jurgen Klopp used Kelleher throughout the tournament and decided not to bench him ahead of the final.
Recall that coach Thomas Tuchel of Chelsea had to bench the club’s £71million goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga ahead of the final despite being the goalkeeper that was used in the previous stages of the tournament this season.
It was until the last one minute of the extra time that coach Tuchel brought Kepa on to replace Mendy because he was better at stopping spot-kicks.
To the dismay of Chelsea’s fans, Kepa failed to save any of Liverpool’s eleven spot-kicks and also failed to score his kick. He played his kick into the air.
On the other hand, Caoimhin Kelleher failed to save any of Chelsea’s 10 spot-kicks but he successfully scored his spot-kick to give Liverpool the victory.
🗣 "I forgot I scored the winning one." 😅
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) February 27, 2022
Caoimhin Kelleher on scoring the winning penalty for Liverpool in the League Cup final pic.twitter.com/xeUNesNUXv
The Carabao Cup final is Caoimhin Kelleher’s 6th Carabao Cup match and his 8th game for Liverpool in all competitions this season.
Jurgen Klopp praises Caoimhin Kelleher
After the victory over Chelsea, the coach of Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp admitted that it was nice that Caoimhin Kelleher was included in the squad that won the Carabao Cup title.
Klopp noted that it would not have been fair if the 23-year-old Irish goalkeeper was benched in the Carabao Cup final since he was the one that executed the previous stages of the tournament.
“It is so nice that it [his inclusion] paid off. He deserves it,” the German coach said. “I am two things, a football manager and a human being, and the human being won this time.
“He is a young boy, we ask him to do a lot, he starts playing in the competition and then we get to the final and I tell him he cannot play…
“In professional football, there should be space for the sentiment. At the training center, we have a wall that all goalkeepers are on who won something and Caoimhin can go on it – that’s how it should be – absolutely great…
“It’s quite a story from when I saw him the first time as a boy and the man he is today, he is an incredible talent.
“Kelleher is the best number two in the world. He had an incredible game. The life of a number two is you just have to be ready when you are called and the game he played tonight was absolutely incredible.
“I can remember at least two incredible saves, probably more, so he proves that the decision to line him up was absolutely right, and then in a very spectacular shootout he showed the whole range of his skillset.”
🗣 "I am two things a professional football manager and a human being and a human being won."
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) February 27, 2022
Jurgen Klopp on why he decided to stick with Caoimhin Kelleher in goal for the final pic.twitter.com/tlfWeUp9HH
What is Caoimhin Kelleher’s stats at Liverpool?
Caoimhin Kelleher joined Liverpool’s youth system on July 1, 2015. He gained a promotion to the club’s senior team on July 1, 2019.
So far in the 2021-2022 season, the Irish goalkeeper who has played twice for Irland since he made his international debut on January 8, 2021, has played 8 times for Liverpool this season in which he conceded 7 goals and kept four clean sheets.
What is the net worth of Caoimhin Kelleher and what is his contract status, and Salary at Liverpool?
According to reports, Caoimhin Kelleher is earning £312,000 per year at Liverpool based on the five-year deal he signed with the club in 2019.
The Irish goalkeeper reportedly earns just £6,000 per week as Liverpool’s backup goalkeeper.
According to salarysports.com, Caoimhin Kelleher’s net worth is
$3,450,529. He is said to be married to his childhood sweetheart, Eimear Murphy. There is no report that they have started giving birth to children.
