I was inspired by the miracle of Istanbul
Because I was allowed to stay up late to watch it, says Liverpool’s new star Ibe
IT all started for Jordon Ibe, like so many young Liverpool fans, after one unforgettable night in Istanbul 10 years ago.
He was only nine then and, growing up in Bermondsey, South London, his fledgling football affinity had been towards Chelsea.
But on May 25, 2005, young Jordon was given a treat. Though it was a school night, he was given permission to stay up and watch the Champions League final.
It turned out, of course, to be a game like no other and as Steven Gerrard inspired that stunning comeback against AC Milan, a dream took flight in the Ibe household.
‘Dad was a Liverpool fan,’ says Ibe, taking up the story.
‘Growing up I supported Chelsea a little bit but I’ve been a Liverpool fan since I started watching the games. I watched the Champions League final in the evening. I wasn’t [normally] allowed to stay up but I watched it.’
What separates Ibe from other Liverpool fans of his age, however, is that when the club returns to the Ataturk Olympic Stadium on Thursday to tackle Besiktas, he will be out on the pitch aiming to show why he is considered one of the hottest young talents in English football.
His emergence over the past month, which has featured exciting displays against Everton, Tottenham and Besiktas, has been as swift as one of those rapid bursts down the right flank he can produce, and the hopes Brendan Rodgers has for this confident 19-year-old are understandably high.
Liverpool did not look to make signings during the January transfer window but one move Rodgers wanted above all was bringing Ibe back from a successful loan spell at Derby County. Having watched his progress, Rodgers firmly believed he could influence their aggressive pursuit of a top four spot.
‘I am enjoying it and it’s good for the gaffer to get me involved and hopefully I can get a few more chances to play,’ says Ibe. ‘My Dad is proud and the whole family are proud. I enjoyed it at Derby. I made a lot of friends. The team was great and I was playing all the time [he made 24 appearances].
‘Steve McClaren is a good manager, definitely a great coach on the training ground. He always helped me and the young players. I enjoyed my time with him. So [when I heard Liverpool wanted me back] I was thinking to myself, “was I going to come back and not play?”
‘But it was a confidence booster because I had been doing well and he [Rodgers] asked me to come back. It’s given me confidence to join in with the first team and try to prove myself. I have done well and I am enjoying my football.’
He always has. There may have been early disappointment in his career, when he was released by Charlton as a 12-year-old, but going to Wycombe Wanderers — where Gary Waddock gave him a Football League debut at 15 — set him on the road to the Premier League.
After just 11 appearances, Liverpool signed him for £500,000 on January 1 2012 and he developed in their Academy before Rodgers handed him a debut against QPR just over 16 months later — his pass allowed Philippe Coutinho to score the goal that sent Jamie Carragher into retirement with a 1-0 win.
‘I thought it was the right time for me to move away from home,’ says Ibe. ‘I had a trial at Manchester City when I was younger but this was a good choice for me. It was a bit difficult when I was a bit younger but as I was leaving secondary school I thought it was the right choice.
‘My family moved up with me and it’s been great ever since. I haven’t been homesick at all and I had education when I was in the youth team, so everything has been cool and I have made friends at the club.
‘I’m learning from the attacking players like Mario [Balotelli], Raheem [ St erl i ng], [Daniel] Sturridge and Coutinho, and I’m trying to add goals to my game and prove to the manager I can keep playing. Wing-back is a new position for me but it’s good because I can attack the [opposition] full-back. Raheem has been a really big influence. He has been helping me and we talk off the pitch and he gives me advice.
‘He is a year older than me and it gives me a lot of confidence to try and achieve what he has achieved at such a young age. Mario is another person who has helped me on and off the pitch.’
Comparisons with Sterling are understandable, given their respective pace and frames, but Ibe, while taking inspiration from how his friend has developed, is his own man and is determined to take this opportunity to carve out a niche for himself in the team.
Liverpool have already taken steps to secure him for the long term by offering him new, improved terms — his current deal runs until 2017 — and their ambitions for him are mirrored within the FA, as England Under-21 head coach Gareth Southgate watched him against Besiktas last Thursday.
The fallout from that game was consumed by Balotelli’s penalty but it was Ibe’s thrilling change of gear that tempted Ramon Motta to make a misguided lunge for the ball, thus setting up another thrilling night in the Ataturk. This time Ibe will be able to shape Liverpool’s destiny.
‘The manager has also given me the chance to play in big stadiums in front of big grounds,’ says Ibe. ‘So when I play at Anfield I have that confidence and there are great players around me as well, which helps. I just want to keep progressing and see from there.’