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Teenage Turks and Caicos goalkeeper dreams of playing for Liverpool

Samuel Harvey receives an award at a youth tournament
Samuel Harvey receives an award at a youth tournamentTurks and Caicos FA
In a world where age records are being broken more and more often, Samuel Harvey impresses with his precociousness. He is the current first-choice goalkeeper for the Turks and Caicos Islands at just 14 years old.

At the age of 14, most young people's main concern is finishing their homework. Harvey, meanwhile, was preparing to make his international debut for the Turks and Caicos Islands, an archipelago located in North America with just over 38,000 inhabitants.

Debuting in the CONCACAF Nations League clash with Anguilla in September, the goalkeeper was unable to prevent a 2-0 defeat.

"After the game, I cried, my first internationalisation was a defeat. The coach spoke to me to help me refocus and be ready for the next game. I have to make the most of it, I've been an international since I was 14," explained the international to the BBC.

Of Jamaican descent, the goalkeeper admits that he idolises Aaron Lawrence (coach of the Turks and Caicos Islands and a starter for Jamaica at the 1998 World Cup).

"I've seen a lot of videos from that World Cup," said Harvey, who initially wasn't meant to be in goal. "I started out at centre-back, but when Aaron arrived he put me in goal and it worked out."

It's not unusual

With such a small recruitment pool, it's not surprising that the Turks and Caicos Islands have invested in such young players. Harvey is the third 14-year-old to make his international debut. Christopher Louisy and Watson Jean-Louis did the same five years ago.

"It's a very small island, some of the older players are at university and couldn't come to play, others stopped playing and started working because they didn't see a future in football.

"We're growing and this way we help these kids develop faster. In this way we hope to give them a goal to continue in football," explained Lawrence.

A future in the Premier League 

And looking ahead to Harvey's future, the ambition is there. A self-confessed Liverpool fan, the teenage keeper would one day like to wear the Reds' shirt and take over the role now held by Alisson Becker.

And Lawrence believes that a move to English football is not at all impossible.

"He's got good reflexes, he's good at holding the ball up, he's quick off the mark. He has the qualities to become a Premier League goalkeeper," he concluded.

For now, on Harvey's horizon is a tricky clash with Belize in the sixth and final round of Group B in the third tier of the CONCACAF Nations League.

The Turks and Caicos Islands need to win in order to go up as one of the best second-placed teams, while their opponents have already secured progression.

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