Trent Alexander-Arnold spent the past 20 years being associated with Liverpool. Now, that’s all coming to an end.
Alexander-Arnold announced Monday he is leaving the club at the end of the season. Alexander-Arnold announced the news in a video, calling it the “hardest decision I’ve ever made.”
The 26-year-old said it was a personal decision, and that he needed to challenge himself. He acknowledged people won’t be happy with his decision, but said, “It’s something that I feel I need to do on my journey and my career.” He added he’ll always be a Liverpool fan and continue to root for the club to perform well.
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Alexander-Arnold grew up a Liverpool fan and joined the club’s academy when he was six years old. His exit ends a 20-year association with the club.
Alexander-Arnold did not announce his next destination, though multiple reports claim he’s headed to Real Madrid. The club is reportedly “very optimistic” about signing Alexander-Arnold to a long-term deal, per ESPN.
Alexander-Arnold made 352 total appearances with Liverpool over his career. He scored 23 goals with the club and holds the Premier League record with 64 assists by a defender. His excellence earned him a nomination for the Ballon d’Or award in 2019. A full-back has never won the award. In October, Alexander-Arnold said he wanted to be the first player at the position to accomplish that feat.
The decision to leave Liverpool was something Alexander-Arnold reportedly considered for quite some time. While Alexander-Arnold and Liverpool engaged in “cordial” contract conversations before his contract expired, Alexander-Arnold seemed set on challenging himself elsewhere, per The Athletic. Liverpool reportedly offered a contract to Alexander-Arnold that would have made him one of the highest paid full-backs in the world.
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While Alexander-Arnold reportedly made the decision to leave in March, both sides wanted to keep the news private until Liverpool clinched the Premier League title. That happened April 27, as the team defeated Tottenham 5-1.
Just a few days later, Alexander-Arnold announced he was leaving his long-time team.
