Caoimhin Kelleher: Jurgen Klopp thank you to Ringmahon Rangers 'massive'

A Cork football club that received a personal thank you from Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp for sending his team a cup-winning hero has described it as "massive" and "unbelievable".

The handwritten letter arrived at Ringmahon Rangers along with the shirt goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher wore in February's League Cup Final.

As well as a fine performance between the sticks in a 0-0 draw, the 23-year-old scored the winner in an 11-10 penalty shootout against Chelsea.

Liverpool signed Kelleher from Ringmahon as a 16-year-old in 2015.

Earlier this week Ringmahon Rangers revealed on social media that they had been sent his shirt and the message from Liverpool boss Klopp.

"To everyone at Ringmahon Rangers. Thank you for sending us Caoimhin. He's done you proud," the letter said.

Ringmahon Rangers Club secretary Seán Fitzgerald described it as "huge, unbelievable, massive".

"We dropped it into town yesterday, so it's been framed and will be hanging up pride of place in the clubhouse next to everything else," he said.

"People are ringing and offering money for it, but it's something you'll cherish in the club forever."

Mr Fitzgerald said the club had been trying to get Kelleher's shirt for a while because they had the jerseys of previous Irish internationals who had started out at the club.

"We have one of Caoimhin's when he played with Ireland Under-17s," he said.

"Liverpool was the next one and me being a Liverpool fan, I kind of made it my mission to get one.

"It's a piece of history for the club."

Mr Fitzgerald said that while the 23-year-old had always been "very down to earth" and quiet growing up, it was obvious he was a star in the making.

"We knew there was always something there with him because when he was a striker he was banging in 20, 30 goals a season," he said.

He added: "When he went in goal for those two years with the club, you could just see straight away that he was going to make it.

"Him slotting away a penalty [in the cup final], you couldn't make it up, it's the stuff dreams are made of for everybody down in Ringmahon to look at."

Mr Fitzgerald said that while some people might say it was only a jersey, it meant more than that to the club.

"It's for the kids to look at - the next generation, the children who are training down there," he said.