Heading to Real Madrid, Alexander-Arnold Not a Liverpool Traitor

LIVERPOOL, MONDAY - The bad news that millions of Liverpool supporters have been waiting for finally arrived on Monday (5/5/2025) morning local time. Trent Alexander-Arnold rejected Liverpool's contract extension offer. He is one step closer to Real Madrid.

Not a few have criticized Alexander-Arnold's departure. He was called a scouse, the term for a native Liverpool child, who was disloyal.

From the bottom of my heart, I would like to thank everyone—coaches, managers, teammates, and incredible supporters—for the companionship over the past 20 years.

In fact, many supporters compare the level of loyalty of foreign players to that of local players from Liverpool. This is based on the decisions of Mohamed Salah from Egypt and Virgil van Dijk from the Netherlands, who chose to remain at Anfield Stadium rather than considering a move to other clubs and leagues.

Nevertheless, the 26-year-old wing-back assured that his departure was purely due to professional factors. Alexander-Arnold also left Liverpool amicably and did not miss the opportunity to bid farewell.

"I give everything every day for this club. From the bottom of my heart, I thank everyone—the coaches, the managers, my teammates, and the incredible supporters—for the togetherness over the last 20 years," said Alexander-Arnold in a farewell video posted on the club's website on Monday.

Although he will be leaving his hometown, Alexander-Arnold will not have as strong a connection with any other club as he does with Liverpool. He first learned football at the Liverpool Academy at the age of six. The Champions League trophy and two Premier League titles are his legacy for "The Reds" that should not be forgotten easily.

"I am very grateful to be able to fulfill my dreams here. I would not trade all the beautiful moments for anything. My love for this club has never died," he said.

A total of 352 matches have been played by the player wearing jersey number 66 with Si Merah. This number of matches could still increase by three more, referring to the three remaining matches in the English League this season. He has already contributed eight championship trophies for his childhood idol club.

From Liverpool, Alexander-Arnold has made 33 appearances for the England national team. He represented the "Three Lions" in the Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup.

The final match of the season against Crystal Palace on May 25 will be the most anticipated moment for Liverpool supporters. They will watch Liverpool lift their 20th Premier League trophy, then say goodbye to Alexander-Arnold, one of the best Scouse footballers ever born and playing for Liverpool.

Alexander-Arnold may not yet be compared to Steven Gerrard in terms of loyalty. However, he surpasses Gerrard based on the achievement of two English Premier League titles.

Less than half an hour after Liverpool announced the departure of Alexander-Arnold, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano announced the transfer of the right-back to Real Madrid.

Since March 2024, Real has made Alexander-Arnold a top priority to fill the right-back position. This is due to the fact that Real's two current right-backs, Dani Carvajal and Lucas Vazquez, are already injury-prone and their abilities have diminished as they have passed the age of 30.

"The decision (Alexander-Arnold) to leave Liverpool is confirmed. Real Madrid has all the documents ready to be signed immediately," Romano was quoted as saying by Marca.

Referring to the free transfer system, Alexander-Arnold will officially become a Real player as of July 1, 2025.

Alexander-Arnold is set to form the era of Los Galacticos 3.0 or the third edition of the dream team at "Los Blancos." There were two English players in the first edition of Los Galacticos in the early 2000s, namely Michael Owen and David Beckham. Meanwhile, the third generation dream team of Real is led by Cristiano Ronaldo.

He joins world-class young players, such as Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, Federico Valverde and Arda Guler.

In addition, he also has the opportunity to be trained by one of his idols at Liverpool, namely Xabi Alonso. The Bayer Leverkusen tactician has been reported by several Spanish media as the main candidate to succeed Carlo Ancelotti starting from the 2025-2026 season.

By joining Real, Alexander-Arnold follows in the footsteps of Liverpool midfielder from the 1990s, Steve McManaman. The player, who is also a native of Liverpool, left the Reds as a free transfer in the summer of 1999.

McManaman left Liverpool with just two domestic trophies, the 1991-92 FA Cup and the 1994-95 League Cup.

Moving to Real helped McManaman realize his dream of becoming a professional footballer. He won two Champions League trophies and two La Liga titles.

According to McManaman, there is nothing wrong with Alexander-Arnold's decision. During his time representing Liverpool, he stated, the player with accurate passing ability has provided many trophies and memorable moments.

"If he feels like he wants to live a new lifestyle, a new language, I have no doubt about his decision," McManaman told ESPN in April.

"His departure is a great loss for Liverpool, but I respect and am proud of his decision. He is a local boy who has accomplished many extraordinary things that make us proud," he continued.