FeatureMeet the Academy: The story of Kornel Misciur's hunt for a Jerzy Dudek selfie
Kornel Misciur becoming a Liverpool player turned a proud day into a life-changing one.
The goalkeeper had just made his debut for Hull City's U18s team as an U16 player.
He was then pulled aside and informed it would be his last appearance for the Yorkshire club.
What are you on about?
A car was waiting to take Misciur and his family to Merseyside and complete the formalities of a dream switch to the Reds.
"That's how I joined Liverpool – it's quite special," he says two years later, in conversation with Liverpoolfc.com for our Meet the Academy series.
Kornel was born to Polish parents in Scarborough, and currently represents the country at youth level.
Mum and dad were excited at the possibility of their son following in the footsteps of another goalkeeper connected to Poland who served Liverpool extremely well.
Kornel remembers: "The biggest thing when I signed was my family, especially them being Polish, were like, 'Oh my days, you might see Jerzy Dudek! Make sure you get a photo.'"
Misciur wasn't even born at the time of Dudek's crowning moment as a Red – the 2005 Champions League final in Istanbul – but has been well-schooled on the stopper's legacy.
He had the chance to secure that sought-after selfie while in Hong Kong on the summer pre-season tour of Asia.
"I got to meet him there," Misciur says. "He said, 'Let's take a photo', which kind of answered my question.
"He took a photo, sent it to me and then I sent it to my family. They were all buzzing – it's a big family group chat.
"Obviously I know all about Jerzy Dudek, I just wasn't there to experience when he won in Istanbul.
"We just had a little chat and he messaged me after saying, 'Keep working hard and I've got fingers crossed for you and hopefully see you in the future.'
"It's really nice. He didn't have to do it but he messaged me after."
That's been one of a number of surreal moments Misciur has experienced in his two years at Liverpool.
To date, he's been part of the senior team's matchday squad on three occasions – all this season and all in the Champions League, including the win over Real Madrid at Anfield.
"I feel like they've got only better," says the 18-year-old. "The first one [Eintracht Frankfurt], because it was so rushed, I didn't know what to expect. The best one for me was Real Madrid because of the result.
"The team makes you feel a part of it. Despite being a young player and unlikely to come on, I feel like the lads really helped me to be part of the team and just made it feel really special."
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Misciur has been around the senior set-up since the early days of his Liverpool career, first drafted up to train there aged 15 by then-goalkeeping coach John Achterberg.
It means he has had regular exposure to one of the best technicians in his profession – Alisson Becker.
"Just being around him is incredible," Misciur says of the Brazilian. "He always helps you out to keep going.
"Despite me being young and some things might not be going right, he'd always be encouraging you to go forward and to keep doing well. Obviously he's lent me a couple of goalkeeping techniques, which I feel just goalkeepers would understand.
"But in general, the main thing I've learned from him is to keep going if things aren't right, especially in training.
"Because you can make mistakes in training, that's where you're meant to make them. And then in the games hopefully you learn not to make the mistakes."
The nature of the position naturally means the goalkeeping group at Liverpool is a close-knit one.
It extends way beyond the AXA Training Centre for Misciur, who lives with fellow Pole and Reds 'keeper Fabian Mrozek.
"We've got so close by living together. We always go out for food on our days off and stuff like that," Kornel says. "We're living with house parents. Upstairs we speak in Polish, downstairs we speak English just for respect.
"But living with him, it's like having an older brother."
Misciur signed his first professional contract with Liverpool during the previous campaign, when he made the step up to U21s football.
And while his development is encouraging, he's the first to admit that there's more work required in order to become the well-rounded stopper he seeks to be.
Kornel finishes: "My main attribute since being young is just keeping the ball out of the net, reflexes and things like that.
"Especially when I was younger, I never really used to play out much with the ball. I'd just save the ball and that was my job.
"But now there's a different role, especially being at Liverpool. I think I've improved a lot but there's still a lot more to do."