Liverpool teenager Conor Bradley shared a handshake with Swedish superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic after realising a lifelong dream against AC Milan at the San Siro on Tuesday night.
The Northern Ireland teenager was a late substitute in Italy as Jurgen Klopp’s men ended their Champions League group campaign with a perfect return of six wins from six.
And the highly-rated right back capped off a memorable night when he exchanged post-match pleasantries with former Barcelona, PSG and Manchester United striker Ibrahimovic.
On Instagram, Bradley - a late replacement for Neco Williams - hailed his European bow as a “proud moment for me and my family!”
The 18-year-old, who had made just two Carabao Cup appearances for Liverpool before his outing in Europe, added: “Dreams come true.”
Anfield teammate Williams led the tributes on social media, the Welsh defender joking: “Congrats skinny” with two fire emojis.
Bradley’s Northern Ireland teammates were also quick to congratulate the teenager, with Jordan Jones writing: “Unbelievable mate.”
Sunderland midfielder Corry Evans posted “congrats mate” with an applause emoji while Stoke City’s Jordan Thompson said: “Superb mate”.
Young Liverpool goalkeeper Liam Hughes, who has also been a part of Ian Baraclough’s senior squad in recent months, wrote: “Love it.”
It has been a meteoric rise so far for Bradley who was rewarded with a long term contract with the Premier League giants in July.
The versatile right back made his Northern Ireland debut in May, winning the first of his five caps to date as a late replacement for Stuart Dallas in a 3-0 win over Malta in Austria.
The County Tyrone native, who joined Liverpool from Dungannon United in 2019, made his first competitive start for Northern Ireland in a 2-1 defeat to Bulgaria in a World Cup qualifier in Sofia in October.
