Caoimhin Kelleher has left Liverpool back-up duty behind to become a No.1 - but to his old grassroots club, he remains one in a million.

Ringmahon Rangers will receive the biggest-ever sell-on windfall for an Irish team following the goalkeeper's move to Brentford.

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Kelleher played his part in helping Liverpool to the titleCredit: Getty

The 26-year-old came up through the ranks at the amateur Cork outfit before making the move to Liverpool in 2015.

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As part of that modest five-figure deal, Ringmahon agreed a 20 per cent sell-on fee that, a decade later, is now set to be highly lucrative.

Kelleher's switch to Brentford as part of an overall package worth £18million will see his former grassroots team bag the largest ever sell-on payment received by an Irish club, eclipsing the £1.7m Shamrock Rovers received of the fee Southampton paid Manchester City for Gavin Bazunu in 2022.

During an exclusive interview with talkSPORT.com, Ringmahon's club secretary Sean Fitzgerald said: "As of now, we don't know how much money we're getting.

We're a small community, a small parish."

Ringmahon have had cause to celebrate both on the pitch and off it this week, after their senior side secured a fourth trophy of the season on Wednesday by beating local rivals Avondale United 1-0 in the Beamish Cup final.

Fittingly, it could mean the players have the chance to commemorate a memorable campaign with a spot in their clubhouse's illustrious Hall of Fame, which is already headlined by a Kelleher performance in a cup final.

Ringmahon have their most famous alumni's match-worn shirt from the Carabao Cup over Chelsea at Wembley in 2022 on display.

Alongside it hangs a personalised letter from former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, to thank the club for Kelleher, who had kept a clean sheet across 120 minutes before smashing home the winning penalty during a madcap shootout victory.

Fitzgerald explained: "The Anfield Wrap, the Liverpool podcast, they came over to an interview just after the Chelsea match.

A few phone calls were made, and the next thing, the jersey arrived at the door.

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Kelleher helped Liverpool to secure the Carabao Cup in 2022Credit: Getty

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Klopp wrote: "To everyone of Ringmahon Rangers, thank you for sending us Caoimhin, he's done you proud!"Credit: Ringmahon Rangers

"I was inside working, the wife rang me and she said, 'there's a package that has come now from Liverpool'.

"And I said, 'don't f****** open that at all, don't open nothing at all'.

"She was, 'Oh, why are you worried?' I said, 'Don't open nothing, don't open nothing'.

So we were hanging it up now down the clubhouse, like, a kind of Wall of Fame at the clubhouse, all our players who played in England and all their Ireland jerseys and stuff.

"We weren't expecting a message from Jurgen Klopp at all, so that's inside the frame with it - the Brentford shirt now is next!"

During his teenage years, Kelleher trained at Blackburn Rovers and Aston Villa, before settling on Liverpool, the club Fitzgerald supports.

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Kelleher joined Liverpool's youth team in 2015Credit: Ringmahon Rangers

That fact makes it all the more amusing that it was he who was able to haggle with his favourite team to get the best deal possible.

Fitzgerald, who balances his volunteer work at the club alongside his day job as a pipe fitter welder, told talkSPORT: "It's a lot of haggling; they offer you pennies, and then you fight back that way.

All our coaches down in the club are all Ringmahon people."

Sunderland’s Alan Browne came through the pathway, as did Cathal Heffernan, now at Tyne-Wear rivals Newcastle, alongside the two Umeh brothers — Franco, who is on the books at Crystal Palace, and Jaden, who plays for Portuguese giants Benfica.

However, Kelleher remains the cream of the crop, having played most of his underage football at Ringmathon from under-7s to the seniors.

Three years ago at Wembley, he buried a penalty with skills developed at the club in a Liverpool kit that's now on the walls.

Kelleher was a centre-forward until he was 13, before catching the goalkeeper bug in training with Cork.

He then went full-time between the sticks a year later after Ringmathon's first-choice 'threw his toys out of the pram'.

The decision to turn to Kelleher was led by his father, Ray, who convinced his long-term coach Eddie Harrington to make the switch.

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Kelleher was a capable striker in his teensCredit: Ringmahon Rangers

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Kelleher is the only goalkeeper to have won four penalty shootouts as a Liverpool player

Fitzgerald told talkSPORT: "Eddie was Caoimhin's manager from start to finish.

So he flew off to London, he'd done his bit and he flew back."

The pair are used to celebrating by now, with Kelleher instrumental in the side that won the Cork U-17 Premier League in 2015.

With Ringmahon trailing by a single goal to College Corinthians, Harrington sent his No.1 into the box late on, and, in the melee, an equaliser was forced to secure a 1-1 draw to make them champions.

Fitzgerald said: "He was inside the box causing havoc, and someone tipped it in.

"We knew he was going to Liverpool.
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