The football bar in Altrincham "where everyone knows your name" is celebrating its sixth birthday this week.
Libero, in Kings Court, originally opened as a pop-up bar but proved an immediate hit and signed a permanent lease in October 2018.
Named after the Italian word for "free" that was used to describe German football legend Franz Beckenbauer's defensive role, Libero only has room for 16 customers but has won a loyal band of regulars over the years.
Owner Paul Rooney said the original idea was to create a "safe space" to watch football which, unlike some sports bars, is very female and LGBTQ+ friendly.
It also prides itself on the quality of its craft ale and wine, with independent favourites Sonoma, Piccadilly Pilsner and Factotum as house beers and a small wine menu from Altrincham Market's Reserve Wines.
"People are quite shocked to see that we also do cocktails and really nice natural wine. Last week we had a couple of women in who were commenting on how they couldn't believe they were drinking a really nice Beaujolais in a sports bar... and that's my mentality, we're a sports bar for hipsters!" said Paul.
Paul and bar-tender Tierney Molloy say they view themselves as hosts to their customers, as if they were in their own living room.
"It's a bit Cheers-esque - you come in and everybody knows your name," added Paul, name-checking the much-loved American sitcom. "That's part of its charm."
He said that as far as he was aware, Libero was a complete one-off.
"There's nothing like this in the world. You can get bars that are this small in Seville or Tokyo or Berlin, but not with the sport. It's our USP - a tiny space to watch the sport."
As well as football games - which are democratically selected based on a majority decision taken by the customers, although the three televisions available can show two separate events at once - Libero also attracts cricket, rugby and women's football fans.
Paul hopes to eventually open a second Libero in a similarly cosy space somewhere - but for now, he's happy to mark the sixth birthday milestone.
"Given the climate we've had with Covid and the recession, I'm very pleased to have made it this far," he said.
Libero, 2A Kings Court, Railway St, Altrincham WA14 2RE. Follow @wearelibero on Instagram and Facebook.
