Trent Alexander-Arnold sat down, took a deep breath and uttered the words many Liverpool knew would be coming.
“After 20 years at Liverpool Football Club,” he said into a camera, “I will be leaving at the end of the season.”
Alexander-Arnold didn’t mention his next destination when confirming his imminent departure from Liverpool on his social media accounts but the England right back is widely expected to move to Real Madrid on a free transfer.
The locally born Alexander-Arnold, who joined Liverpool at the age of 6 and has won every major honor with the club, said it was “easily the hardest decision I’ve ever made in my life.”
He has announced it barely a week after clinching a second Premier League title with the Reds, pushing them onto 20 English top-flight championships — tied for the record with Manchester United.
“This club has been my whole life — my whole world — for 20 years,” the 26-year-old Alexander-Arnold wrote. “From the academy right through until now, the support and love I have felt from everyone inside and outside of the club will stay with me forever. I will forever be in debt to you all.
“But, I have never known anything else and this decision is about experiencing a new challenge, taking myself out of my comfort zone and pushing myself both professionally and personally. I’ve given my all every single day I’ve been at this club, and I hope you feel like I’ve given back to you during my time here.”
Fans might feel let down
While Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk have recently signed new two-year deals with Liverpool, there was lingering uncertainty over the future of Alexander-Arnold, who was also out of contract at the end of this season.
Some fans will be unhappy he has run down his contract and not allowed Liverpool to get any money for one of its star assets.
“I completely understand that the news will disappoint a lot of people, will anger people, it will make them upset,” Alexander-Arnold told Liverpool’s official website. “Obviously that went into the decision as well — it’s something you don’t want to do, you don’t want to ever have these moments where you feel like you’re letting a lot of people down, you’re disappointing a lot of people.
“But I’ve had to make a decision for me, it’s as simple as that. It’s a difficult one, it’s one that has played on my mind for a long time but being able now to get it off my chest will feel like a weight is lifted.”
Alexander-Arnold said he hasn’t spoken publicly about his future in recent months because he wanted the “to keep my full focus on the team’s best interests, which was securing No. 20.”
“I’m just hoping that we’re able to carry on winning games (and) the noise doesn’t take away from the fact of what we’ve achieved this season,” he said.
His trophies and that assist against Barcelona
Alexander-Arnold won the Premier League in 2020 and again this year, as well as the Champions League in 2019, the FA Cup, English League Cup, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup.
Since making his senior debut in October 2016, he has been key to revolutionizing the role of a full back, with Alexander-Arnold having been Liverpool’s most creative player at times with his marauding runs down the right and his ability to come infield and pick out passes to the team’s attackers.
Arguably the most famous moment of his Liverpool career was when his quickly taken corner set up a goal for Divock Origi to complete a memorable comeback against Barcelona in the Champions League semifinals in 2019.
“From the bottom of my heart, I thank everybody — my coaches, my managers, my teammates, the staff and our incredible supporters — for the last 20 years,” Alexander-Arnold wrote.
“I’ve been blessed enough to live out my dreams here and I will never, ever take for granted the special moments I’ve been fortunate enough to have lived through with you all. My love for this club will never die.”
Another potential bargain for Madrid
If he does go to Madrid, it would be as a free agent and he’d follow in the footsteps of the likes of Steve McManaman, Michael Owen and Xabi Alonso in swapping Anfield for the Santiago Bernabeu.
Alexander-Arnold would be joining England teammate Jude Bellingham in Madrid as well as Kylian Mbappé, who moved there in June 2024 on a free transfer after leaving Paris Saint-Germain.
Liverpool said Alexander-Arnold “will depart with our gratitude and appreciation for his contribution during a sustained period of success.”
Liverpool manager Arne Slot has Conor Bradley as a ready-made back-up for Alexander-Arnold, but is likely to go into the transfer market for another replacement.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
