It was on the 7th of May 2019 when Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp coined the phrase ‘mentality giants’ after witnessing one the greatest nights of football at Anfield.

Klopp’s team had just beaten Lionel Messi’s Barcelona 4-0 in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final, overturning a 3-0 deficit just a week earlier.

In a post-match interview, Klopp did not hold back when asked about his feelings after he watched his team dig deep to reach the prestigious tournament’s final.

“These boys are f**king mentality giants”, Klopp said with raw emotion as he described his players after they produced a performance that would live long in the memory.

On the back of that magical night on Merseyside, Liverpool, of course, went on to win the Champions League trophy and continued their pursuit of excellence by ending a 30-year wait to win the English Premier League title the following year.

The Reds were relentless as they only lost three games in the entire league season to sweep all before them to bring the ‘Holy Grail’ to Anfield. Mentality Giants indeed!

Klopp’s use of the phrase refers to how different individuals stood up at different times during the season even when Liverpool were not doing well as a team.

Cape Cobras coach Ashwell Prince is a massive Liverpool supporter – maybe massive is an understatement – even making the big trek to Madrid in Spain to watch his beloved team lift the Champions League trophy in 2019.

The Cobras as a team have not won silverware for a while – since 2013 to be exact – but certain individuals under the guidance of Prince have shown that relentless pursuit of excellence.

Kyle Verreynne is one such player as the wicketkeeper-batsman just keeps on churning out big numbers with the bat in hand, often when the Cobras are in trouble.

Prince remarked recently that some players take a while to believe that they can play at the highest level while others just have it in them from a young age.

The 23-year-old Verreynne has been no stranger to ‘bubble life’ in the last few months, being with the Proteas Test squad against Sri Lanka at home and then traveling to Pakistan without getting a game.

We have heard on many occasions from players in South Africa and around the world that life in the ‘bubble’ can be tough on a someone’s mental state, even more so when you are not playing.

The diminutive batsman though has not shown any signs of rustiness or ‘bubble fatigue’ as he came back to his domestic franchise and performed admirably in the CSA T20 series and then striking a sweet maiden first-class double-century.

Every time Verreynne walks to the crease, in any format, it seems he uses it as an opportunity to show that he has improved and is getting better.

He was brilliant for the Paarl Rocks as they claimed the Mzansi Super League (MSL) title in December 2019, earning high praise from former Proteas skipper Faf du Plessis.

Verreynne has already had a taste of international cricket, playing three ODIs against Australia last year, and even then, he showed he can stand up to the likes of Mitchell Starc, and Pat Cummins.

With Du Plessis now retired from Test cricket a place is available in the Proteas batting line-up and Verreynne is certainly putting his hand up to fill the vacancy and won’t look out of place in the ‘whites’ in the national side as he has the right mindset to succeed.

The former Wynberg Boys’ High pupil, unlike his domestic coach, is not a Liverpool fan – in fact, his affinity lies with their bitter rivals Manchester United.

Verreynne is nicknamed ‘Scholesy’ by his Cobras teammates, after red-haired Man United legend Paul Scholes, as he shows a neat set of skills in some lively pre-and post-match football games.

It won’t be a surprise if he will be reminding Prince that Liverpool has now been termed ‘mentality midgets’ by former Reds defender Jamie Carragher as they endure a horror 2020-2021 Premier League campaign.

We know when Klopp first spoke about his ‘Mentality Giants’ almost two years ago he was referring to the likes of Mo Salah, Sadio Mane, Fabinho and Jordan Henderson but I’m sure at the back of his mind the German was also thinking about a certain Kyle Verreynne.