Liverpool defender's fairytale: from cancelling a USA scholarship in favour of a last-gasp Anfield trial to pushing the Reds to the UCL

Once upon a time, there was a boy, a humble and hard-working fellow that had only one dream - to become a professional football player. He wanted to follow in his father's footsteps. Unfortunately for him, his desire and commitment were not enough to provide him with a much-expected success, so he decided to pack his bags and travel seven seas to find his luck.

And then, all of a sudden, the luck finally put its hand on him and gave him one last chance to make something heroic in his homeland. He waved to the boat sailing out and returned to his village to give one final push.

On Wednesday, he scored a brilliant header at Turf Moore against Burnley and leapfrogged his Liverpool above Leicester to clinch the Champions League spot.

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No one knows if Nathaniel Phillips, 24, will live heapily ever after, but his career so far has been such a fairytale that it deserves some explaining.

Those seven seas from the beginning were actually The Atlantic ocean and the USA in his case, where he decided to join the University of North Carolina (the one Michael Jordan went to in the early '80s). He planned to graduate there and then try approaching Major League Soccer (MLS) since he was ruled out of Bolton Wanderers youth academy back home.

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Waiting for departure, with his plane ticket already booked, Phillips trained with Huddersfield to stay in good shape, and then the destiny knocked at his door. Someone from Liverpool spotted a youngster who had the stamina and skill of a proper defender, so he received a call for a trial at Merseyside.

That was back in 2016. The trial went well, but again he had to be patient to get his chance for a debut at Anfield Road.

It came almost five years and one loan (at German side Stuttgart) later when all of Jurgen Klopp's defenders were sidelined due to injuries. With no one else to look upon, the German tactician gave Phillips an opportunity. And the fairytale wouldn't be so impeccable if the hero didn't live up to expectations. Today, Nathaniel Phillips is establishing himself as a household name with the Reds. He already surpassed his father's achievements, once a solid Bolton player.

Despite the arrival of youngster Kabak from Schalke and the surprise signing of Ben Davies from Preston North End, Phillips had done enough to retain his place. From fifth choice centre back just six months prior, Phillips had become the first name at the heart of defence.

Phillips, as expected, was awarded the club's Player of the Month award for April - becoming the only Reds star apart from Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold to win the accolade so far this season.

For a fairytale, all you need are two things - a hero and his unprecedented belief. Just ask Phillips.