Trent Alexander-Arnold, booed on his return to Liverpool
The former Liverpool full-back was greeted with whistles and a vandalized mural on his return to Anfield
Trent Alexander-Arnold's return to Anfield was not what he dreamed of. The Englishman, now a Real Madrid player, returned to the stadium where he forged his career and was greeted with loud boos from the Liverpool fans, his former team
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During the announcement of the starting lineups over the PA system, the full-back's name echoed amidst the boos. It was the first time Alexander-Arnold had faced the club of his life, just a few months after his transfer to Real Madrid, and the crowd's reaction made it clear that the wound has not yet healed.
The atmosphere before the match had already been heated. In the early hours, the player's mural near Anfield was found vandalized with white paint and offensive messages.
The graffiti included phrases like “Rat,” “Not Welcomed,” and another in Spanish with errors: “Goodbye, rat.”
From local idol to traitor for some fans
The mural had been unveiled in 2019, after the Champions League victory, with an image of Trent wearing the number 66 and the phrase: “I'm just a young lad from Liverpool whose dream came true.” The gesture was part of a charitable initiative to support local food banks. However, after his signing for Real Madrid, some fans demanded its removal, although the building owners decided to keep it.
The municipal authorities acted quickly and cleaned the graffiti on Tuesday morning. Even so, the incident reflected the discontent of a section of the fanbase who consider his free transfer at the end of his contract unforgivable. Alexander-Arnold played 354 matches for Liverpool, serving as vice-captain and becoming the defender with the most assists in Premier League history. With the Reds, he won two league titles, a Champions League, and a Club World Cup, among other achievements. The match against Liverpool also marked his return to the pitch after nearly two months out with a hamstring injury. During that time, he missed key matches against Atletico de Madrid and Barcelona.
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