| Conor Bradley | |
| Birth Date: | 9 July 2003 |
| Birth Place: | Castlederg, Northern Ireland |
| Height: | 1.8m (05.9feet)[1] |
| Position: | Right-back |
| Currentclub: | Liverpool |
| Clubnumber: | 84 |
| Youthyears1: | 2012–2016 |
| Youthclubs1: | St Patrick's |
| Youthyears3: | 2016–2019 |
| Youthclubs3: | Dungannon Swifts |
| Youthyears4: | 2019–2021 |
| Youthclubs4: | Liverpool |
| Years1: | 2021– |
| Clubs1: | Liverpool |
| Caps1: | 12 |
| Goals1: | 1 |
| Years2: | 2022–2023 |
| Clubs2: | → Bolton Wanderers (loan) |
| Caps2: | 41 |
| Goals2: | 5 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2018 |
| Nationalteam1: | Northern Ireland U16 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 7 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 0 |
| Nationalyears2: | 2019 |
| Nationalteam2: | Northern Ireland U17 |
| Nationalcaps2: | 5 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 0 |
| Nationalyears3: | 2021– |
| Nationalteam3: | Northern Ireland |
| Nationalcaps3: | 17 |
| Nationalgoals3: | 3 |
| Club-Update: | 13:27, 17 August 2024 (UTC) |
| Nationalteam-Update: | 23:25, 11 June 2024 (UTC) |
Conor Bradley (born 9 July 2003) is a Northern Irish professional footballer who plays as a right-back for club Liverpool and the Northern Ireland national team.
Bradley was born on 9 July 2003[1] in Castlederg, County Tyrone,[2] where he was raised. He played Gaelic football for his local club, Aghyaran St Davog's, with his ability noticeable from a young age.[3] He attended the Christian Brothers Grammar School in Omagh, being fast tracked through the school to complete his GCSEs.[4] His father, Joe Bradley, died at home in Killen, County Tyrone, in February 2024, following a period of ill health.[5]
Bradley began his youth career with hometown club St Patrick's at age nine and also began training at English club Liverpool's Northern Ireland development centre at the same age.[6] [7] He went on to play for Dungannon United Youth and Dungannon Swifts, before moving to England to join the youth academy of Liverpool full time in 2019 on a two-year scholarship program. However, after a year at the club, he signed his first professional contract with Liverpool, lasting three years until 2023.[8]
Bradley made his first-team debut for Liverpool in a 2021–22 EFL Cup tie against Norwich City in September 2021, becoming the first Northern Irish player to feature in a competitive game for Liverpool since Sammy Smyth in 1954.[9]
On 21 June 2022, Bradley signed for League One club Bolton Wanderers on a season-long loan.[10] He made his debut on 30 July in a 1–1 draw away to Ipswich Town. He scored his first goal in the club's 5–1 EFL Cup victory over Salford City on 9 August.[11] A week later, he scored his first league goal, the only one of the game in a 1–0 win over Morecambe[12] On 2 April 2023, he started in the EFL Trophy final which Bolton won 4–0 against Plymouth Argyle.[13] On 29 April, he started in a 2–0 win over Fleetwood Town that saw Bolton reach the 2023 League One play-offs.[14] The same day, he was voted as Bolton Wanderers' Player of the Year for the 2022–23 season, while also receiving the Players' Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards, the latter of which he shared with James Trafford.[15] [16]
On 21 January 2024, Bradley made his full Premier League debut in a 4–0 win over Bournemouth,[17] starting the match and registering an assist for Diogo Jota's second goal. On 31 January, he scored his first goal for Liverpool in a 4–1 victory against Chelsea.[18] He also registered two assists to his name, earning him the Man of the Match award for the second time in three days.
On 25 February 2024, Bradley started for Liverpool at right-back in the 2024 EFL Cup final against Chelsea at Wembley Stadium, before being substituted in the 72nd minute. Liverpool went on to win the match 1–0 after extra time, earning Bradley his first trophy with the club.
Bradley played for the Northern Ireland under-16 national team in 2018,[19] and captained the team to winning the Victory Shield.[20] The following year, he appeared for the under-17 team, including in 2019 UEFA European Under-17 Championship qualifying.
In May 2021, Bradley was called up to the senior national team for friendly matches against Malta and Ukraine.[21] He made his international debut on 30 May against Malta, coming on as a substitute in the 85th minute for Stuart Dallas in a 3–0 win for Northern Ireland.[22]
On 26 March 2024, Bradley scored his first goal for Northern Ireland in a 1–0 away win over Scotland in a friendly.[23]
| Season | League | FA Cup | EFL Cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Liverpool U21 | 2020–21 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||||||
| Liverpool | 2021–22 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | Premier League | 11 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 23 | 1 | |||
| 2024–25 | Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| Total | 12 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 29 | 1 | ||||
| Bolton Wanderers (loan) | 2022–23 | League One | 41 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 9 | 1 | 53 | 7 | ||
| Career total | 53 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 84 | 8 | |||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Ireland | 2021 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2023 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2024 | 4 | 3 | ||
| Total | 17 | 3 | ||
Scores and results list Northern Ireland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Bradley goal[24]
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 March 2024 | Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland | 15 | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly | [25] | |
| 2 | 11 June 2024 | Estadio Nueva Condomina, Murcia, Spain | 17 | 1–0 | 2–0 | [26] | ||
| 3 | 2–0 |
Bolton Wanderers
Liverpool
Individual