In the AXA UK Player Portraits series, Liverpool defender Conor Bradley and teammate Leoni are interviewed while painting. Bradley discusses his recovery from injury, praise from the new manager, competition with Frimpong, and his childhood idols.

Hello everyone, welcome to AXA Player Portraits. We have two blank canvases ready for two Liverpool players over 30 minutes, and both of them are very confident about their painting abilities. Alright, let's get started. Are you ready? Before filming, he said, "30 minutes? I can finish it in 10 minutes." How are you feeling now?

Yeah, but I didn't say how good it would look in 10 minutes... I just said I could finish it in 10 minutes.

How have you felt since the managerial change? Everyone seems to be talking about the intensity of training. I know you haven't fully returned to complete training yet, but I'm assuming you've spoken with other players, seen how they're doing, and noticed their reaction to the training.

I haven't participated in those sessions, but the other players looked quite tired. I think the training intensity is quite high, but that's a good sign. Preseason is about working hard, then reaping the rewards during the season. So everyone is indeed training hard. Some players are exhausted after training, but it's all for the best.

Does that also help bring the team together? Everyone is tired and has to get through these training sessions...

Yes, everyone suffers together. Hopefully, by the end of the season, we can achieve results—finishing in a good position in the league or winning a trophy, whatever it may be. So it definitely brings everyone together, and other things can contribute to that as well.

I have another question for you. The manager has openly said he greatly admires you, and you've recovered well since the end of last season. Does his words give you a boost?

Yes, it's really nice to hear the new manager praise me right after he arrived. The last seven or eight months have been difficult. So it felt good to have the new manager praise me. But right now, I'm just focused on getting healthy, returning to the team, and helping my teammates.

So, is he (Leoni) picking up on the slang you usually use?

I'm not even sure what slang I use anymore. But he's definitely getting better at understanding me. Because at first, no matter what I said, his response was always, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah." So I basically didn't hear any other response from him. But now, he's really starting to talk with me, so I know he can understand me.

Frimpong was also part of this series previously. What's it like training with him? And what's it like having a competitor like that at right-back?

Good. Competition is always a good thing, and it's healthy for any team. But I think the best thing about Jeremie is that he's a really good person. He's very lively, always fun to be around here, and the dressing room needs people like that. He has a great personality, and it's great having him around.

Yes, like you said, competition is important for any football club. Hopefully, he and I can push each other to reach our best level and do our best for Liverpool.

Who was your football idol growing up?

Well... maybe Suárez was my favorite to watch. If I had to pick an idol, I'd probably say Gerrard.

Because when I was young, Gerrard was the king, wasn't he? He was truly incredible. As for players from other clubs, I also really enjoyed watching Gareth Bale play. He was an absolutely incredible player. So those three, maybe. They're probably the three players I most enjoyed watching.

I'll try to make it easy to recognize who I'm drawing.

Good. Is that right? You want him to recognize who it is?

Oh, I'm supposed to make him recognize it?

Conor, back to one-on-one defending—tell us about that tackle on Mbappé. How was your phone that night?

Yeah, I got a lot of messages, and there were many videos of that tackle in the WhatsApp group. That was definitely a good night for me. It's always fun to play against some of the best players in the world. And if you perform well against them, that definitely works in your favor.

That match was difficult. He's probably the best player I've ever faced. So it was a tough match, but I was pleased because I could help the team that night, and we ended up winning.

Do you remember what was going through your mind at that moment?

I think I made the decision just a few seconds before. But looking back at that tackle now, I think, "Wow, that was really risky."

But I'm glad I did it. It also felt great hearing the crowd roar after the tackle. And we won the match in the end, which was brilliant.

That tackle was even printed on some shirts.

Oh, I've seen a few, mate. I've seen a few.

You've both drawn the jersey, and the colors on the jersey are well done. But in the end, how good the painting looks will depend on the face. Let's see what you can do with the rest of the time. If you had to give one piece of advice to young Liverpool fans about health and taking care of themselves, what would you say?

Maybe to exercise as much as possible. I know that's very general advice, but I think it's probably the best way to stay healthy. Of course, diet and all that are important too. But I'm convinced that, whether it's for mental or physical health, the most important thing is to get out and exercise.

Running, or playing five-a-side football. Whatever you enjoy, just get out and do something outdoors. Over the past few weeks, since I've started getting back on the pitch, I've felt much better overall. It's really very different from before.

What do you think are Leoni's three greatest strengths?

His three greatest strengths. First, his physical strength. Also, he's very mature for his young age. His third greatest strength is defense?

Leoni: I hope so.

Bradley: I've only seen him play 60 minutes, but he's very good.

I'd like to hear Conor's opinion. Leoni's muscles have clearly developed, and people on the internet got quite excited about it. People even seem to have made AI images of him.

Bradley: Those aren't AI images, mate.

Before we finish, I actually want to ask one more question. Conor, what advice would you give to the next generation of footballers?

Talented people who don't work hard will be beaten by those who do. That's what I think. You have to work hard, plain and simple. That's the key to achieving anything in football. Too many people in the world want to be a footballer. So if you want to succeed, you have to work harder than everyone else. I think that's the only way.

I completely agree. And when you get the chance to make a sliding tackle against a world-class opponent...

That helps too, yeah.

Last few seconds, put your brushes down.

My painting might be terrible, or it might be good, I don't know.

If your painting ability is as good as the way you talk about your painting ability, then we should be fine.

The more I look at my painting, the less confident I become.

Host:

Do you know who that is?

Leoni: Yeah, because...

Bradley: The number.

Yes, the number is clear.

Leoni: I should have drawn the number too.

What if you couldn't see the number?

Leoni: No, no, no, I'd still recognize him.

Bradley: You wouldn't, would you?

You drew it well. So, who is it?

Kerkez.

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.

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