Conor Bradley has spoken before on how he grew up idolising Gareth Bale, and on the night he became Northern Ireland’s youngest-ever captain he showed it.
“He was my idol growing up. He was someone I watched quite a lot,” Bradley said of Bale back in March.
“He got his big move to Real Madrid and Wales are a small nation, but he did so well for Wales and was their best player for so many years.”
With Bradley already at a leading club at Liverpool and now, as the only Premier League player in the Northern Ireland squad this month, he is cemented as his country’s leading talent.
A special night for Conor Bradley as he captains @NorthernIreland for the first time ©?? pic.twitter.com/HRI3BX7Yqb
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) October 12, 2024
Saturday night saw the 21-year-old break Steven Davis’ record as Northern Ireland’s youngest-ever captain, doing so in a 0-0 draw with Belarus.
And while the result was far from emphatic, Bradley again showed why manager Michael O’Neill is banking on him as the present and future.
Though comparisons with Bale may be premature, his performance as a right wing-back again showed why Bradley is capable of emulating him for club and country.
Conor Bradley’s night as Northern Ireland’s youngest-ever captain:
77 touches ?
3 shots ?
2 chances created ?
2 tackles ?
5 crosses ?
3/7 dribbles completed ?
10 duels won ?May end up becoming their Gareth Bale… pic.twitter.com/KGox8Br4H5
— Jack Lusby (@LusbyJack) October 12, 2024
Per FotMob, no player won more duels (10), created more chances (two) or won more tackles (two), while the Liverpool academy graduate was also second-best for shots (three), crosses (five), dribbles completed (three) and touches in the opposition’s box (four).
Bradley had the third-most touches of any player (77), and though it was an ultimately frustrating night for Northern Ireland his influence was strong throughout.
As he showed during his run of starts for Liverpool last season, the youngster prefers to be constantly involved.
Not only did he win the most duels, but he was involved in far more than any other player (19), with his touch map (via WhoScored) showing how attack-minded he was:
He became the fifth-youngest player to debut for Northern Ireland when he came off the bench in a 3-0 win away to Malta in 2021 and, now 21, he already has 20 caps for his country.
While he has a long way to go if he is to follow Bale’s rise to become one of the world’s most-feared attackers, there are clear parallels to be seen in the way they play.
