Liverpool are a club steeped in immense history and placing trust and importance in their youth academy has been central to that. Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher emerged from their academy ranks to become club legends, Trent Alexander-Arnold won everything there is to win with the senior side – but who will be the next generational talent to be churned out?
The stand-out candidate is 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha, whose composure when slotting home the match-winner in Liverpool’s 3-2 win over Newcastle United earlier this season caught the attention of many. He’s not alone, however, and Keyrol Figueroa – son of ex-Wigan Athletic and Hull City defender Maynor – could also be in line for a promotion to the first team.
Born in 2006, Keyrol is a promising centre-forward blessed with a wicked turn of pace, and he is currently making waves in the Reds’ celebrated academy system.
In line for a shot under Arne Slot, the teenage hotshot joined Liverpool’s academy at U14 level and made his U18s debut as a U16 player in the 2021/22 season. Capable of scoring plenty of goals, he featured for the U18s as a first-year scholar in the following campaign and Dutch tactician Slot will, no doubt, be keeping a close eye on his development.
Keyrol Figueroa: The Promising Son of a Premier League Cult Hero, Maynor
If you remember correctly: the young striker’s father, Maynor, is the scorer of one of the Premier League’s greatest goals. The seasoned Honduras international only hit the back of the net 14 times in his career – but that free-kick against Stoke City will long live in the memory of England top flight aficionados from all corners of the world.
Just inside his own half, Figueroa pitched the ball up after Scott Sinclair had been subject to a Robert Huth foul. Noticing Thomas Sorensen off his line, the left-back lobbed the towering Dane from 60 yards out. Relive it below:
Incredibly, Keyrol’s dad – now 42 years of age – is still playing football. He recently joined a Sunday League team, Wythenshawe FC, and is linking up with the likes of Danny Drinkwater, Emile Heskey and Nedum Onuoha as they slice through the ninth tier of English football with utter ease, as expected.
But the spotlight is now on his teenage son, who once scored 90 goals in a calendar year at youth level. Not only can the youngster occupy the centre-forward role, but he can also operate on the right-hand side of the forward line.
On the international stage, the versatile attacker starred for USA’s U17s in the CONCACAF U17 Championship in Mexico, netting an eye-catching tally of seven goals in the same number of appearances. His country from across the pond were surprisingly beaten 3-1 in the final by the host nation.
He netted seven goals from seven appearances during the tournament as the USA were eventually beaten 3-1 in the final by Mexico. For club and country, he’s certainly one for the future – but him being fast-tracked from academy to senior football could be on the cards given how he’s started the current campaign.
At the time of writing, Keyrol – who was born in Tegucigalpa, the capital city of Honduras – has plundered five goals in seven Premier League 2 matches. Should he get the chance to shine for the senior side in the coming months, the budding marksman will be hoping to replicate the potency of his idols.
“When I was younger, I was just about old enough to watch [Didier] Drogba, [Sergio] Aguero. I watched Luis Suarez as well. I think [Fernando] Torres when he was at Atletico Madrid was someone I tried to embody.”
Figueroa’s Hat-Trick Against Everton and First Team Prospects
This is not the first time that Keyrol has been linked with the prospect of being promoted to Slot’s first team proceedings. In early-to-mid September, reports suggested that he had joined up with the likes of Mohamed Salah, Florian Wirtz and Virgil van Dijk in what was Alexander Isak’s first training session following his £125 million-worth move.
Isak will be just one of the many stars that Keyrol will be battling with if he is to impress Slot – widely regarded as one of the best managers in world football – and his entourage. Hugo Ekitike is also an important figure for the Merseyside decision-makers and the Frenchman’s recent run of form could halt the young talent’s progression.
Three of his five goals this term came in Liverpool U21s recent a resounding 4-1 victory over arch-rivals Everton and he was bounding with joy in the wake of the match. “This is really important for me, especially because of how it’s been going for me recently,” he said, per Liverpool’s website, before rattling through some of the challenges he has faced in the infancy of his career.
“Sometimes I’ve been playing, sometimes I’ve been not, injuries. I just had to keep my head high, I didn’t want to sulk or anything. This was my career at the end of the day, so I had to decide whether I step up to the plate or not.”
“Especially against Everton and in the Merseyside derby, it’s a proud moment for me,” he said about bagging a hat-trick of strikes. “But I wouldn’t have been able to do it without the boys, honestly. I had to work hard on my own but this was all of them. I had Kaide [Gordon] and Trent [Kone-Doherty] and all the balls they gave me, so I’ll say thank you to them. This [the match ball] was for all of us.”
It’s never a guarantee that players will have – and, more importantly, grab with both hands – the chance to be promoted from academy to first team football. For Keyrol, it may be a case of biding his time until the opportunity arises. Whether it’s this season or next, he’ll certainly be a name that will linger for a while.
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