There are few people who, at some point when they were young and kicking a ball about a pitch or swinging a bat or catching a pass, won’t have dreamed of growing up to play for their favourite club. Across the world, in every sport, it’s a common dream. Near universal, perhaps.
There are fewer still who will go on to live that dream. To even come close to it. Harvey Elliott is one of those very, very few. A boyhood Liverpool fan who travelled to support the team. Who grew up in the stands singing the songs and then had his dream come true.
Over six seasons, Elliott got to play for Liverpool Football Club. And make a mark. Winning goals, incisive passes, graft and effort. Countless hours on the training pitch for a few minutes under the lights at Anfield. And at the end of it all, a Premier League winner’s medal for 2025-26.
It’s a hell of a story. A hell of a journey. Even if in the end, perhaps, it hasn’t ended as one might have dreamed. Even if, today, Elliott is an Aston Villa player, the 22-year-old having to move on in search of a clearer path to playing time and the starring role he dreamed of with the Reds.
“When I joined Liverpool in 2019 it was a dream come true,” Elliott said following the move. “As a child I travelled the world supporting the team as a fan and words will never be able to explain the feeling I had when I pulled on that famous red shirt for the first time as a player.
“Over the course of the last six years I’ve experienced so much. Growing up I could never have imagined that I’d go on to play 150 games for my boyhood team, winning 7 major trophies and culminating in being part of the squad to have won the Premier League last season with such a special group.
“Thank you to everybody at the club for welcoming me from the very first day I arrived and for looking after me ever since. To the incredible Liverpool fans, thank you for making me one of your own and for always supporting me through both good and tough times.
“I’ll always cherish the bond we have together. I will always have Liverpool in my heart.”
We’ll surely see Elliott again, in the Premier League, with Aston Villa. Perhaps one day we’ll see him again in Red. It’s unlikely, perhaps, but then anything is possible. Sometimes dreams come true. In the meantime, we wish him nothing but the best. Go smash it at Villa, Harvey.