Trent Alexander-Arnold has confirmed that he will end his 20-year-old association with Liverpool at the end of the season, with the expectation that he will join Real Madrid
The link and rivalry between Liverpool and Real Madrid is well established. Perhaps it is why some Liverpool fans find it so difficult to accept that Trent is leaving Alexander-Arnold Anfield for the Bernabeu.
The legacy of a simmering feud between supporters of two of the superpowers of European football is a sense of bitterness and jealousy.
It dates back to John Toshack, who had eight years as a player in Anfield in the 1970s, felt hurt because he was passed on in 1983 as Liverpool manager for Joe Fagan and got the Real Madrid task instead in line.
Michael Owen went to Real Madrid in 2004 for a £ 8 million snapping prize and still has a complicated relationship with the Liverpool Fanbase to this day. But Steve McManaman is the one whose departure looks closest to Alexander-Arnold and that is why some fans will find it difficult to forgive and forget this time.
McManaman was one of the most controversial free transfers in Bosman style when he left Liverpool as a free agent in 1999 to join Real Madrid to a mega contract. England star McManaman became the biggest earner in Spain on a renowned £ 65,000 a week, won two Champions League titles, two La Liga titles and is still lovingly remembered in Madrid.
McManaman insists that Liverpool still has a larger place in his heart – albeit alone – and yet he will never be remembered in the same way as a hero as Steven Gerrard. That will be the same for Alexander-Arnold who, despite winning trophies and a product of the club's academy and the self-proclaimed “scouser in the team”, is in a similar situation.
The fans enjoyed Virgil van Dijk and Mo Salah who signed new deals, but resigned when losing Alexander-Arnold and, for many, there is a escapable sense of resentment.
Alexander-Arnold is likely to be appreciated at Real Madrid for his flair and creativity than in English football, because, while fans of Liverpool respected his ability as a player, others seemed to focus on what he could not do instead of what he could.
McManaman, now a respected TV expert with TNT-Sport, says that the first thing that Alexander-Arnold has to do to ensure that he is a success in Spain is really simple. He said to ESPN: “The simple thing is to learn the language as quickly as possible.
“When I was in Madrid, not necessarily the club, but the city, nobody spoke English. Of course it is now much more open and many more people now speak English now, it is of course a capital.
“But I think if you want to continue with the Brazilians, if you want to continue with the people, if you want to get things done, if you want to pay for your electricity bill.
“Of course you can always help people who help you, but I don't see the point to go to a new country, a new city, to learn a new culture, not to learn a new lifestyle and the language. You have to throw yourself in it.”
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