Swapping Liverpool for Real Madrid means Trent has chosen to be a rival, says Jamie Carragher

New Delhi, May 5 (IANS) Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher believes Trent Alexander-Arnold’s decision to leave his boyhood club for Real Madrid is not a good sign for the club, and the emotional and aggressive response by the fans is understandable.

Trent announced his decision to leave Liverpool at the end of his current contract on Monday and said it has to do with him wanting a new challenge and a change of environment. But Carragher, who represented Liverpool on 737 occasions, believes Trent has chosen to be a rival of the Kop.

“By leaving Liverpool, Alexander-Arnold is making it harder for his own club to win its 21st league title and seventh European Cup. That is bound to stir emotions. As a Champions League and double Premier League winner, Alexander-Arnold will always be an Anfield legend. His corner taken quickly against Barcelona in the 2019 Champions League semifinal can no longer be airbrushed from history than Owen’s two goals versus Arsenal in the 2001 FA Cup final. His contribution will never be diminished.

"I love seeing a Liverpool-born lad doing so well, he will play for Real Madrid. Part of me thinks “well done”, but the competitive element in me also thinks swapping Liverpool red for Real Madrid white means he has chosen to become a rival. It means the next time he is at Anfield, he will receive the same treatment as Luis Suarez when he returned to Merseyside in a Barcelona shirt," wrote Carragher in a column for The Telegraph

Alexander-Arnold became an integral part of a Liverpool side that lifted four major trophies within 14 months, passing the 100-appearance mark for his boyhood club during a Treble-winning 2019/20 season in which the Reds won the Premier League, FIFA Club World Cup, and UEFA Super Cup.

Indeed, his importance to Jurgen Klopp was underlined by the fact that he featured in all 38 matches en route to Liverpool's first English league title since 1990.

Alexander-Arnold contributed 13 Premier League assists during 2019/20 – a record for a defender, having bettered his tally of 12 in 2018/19.

Carragher cited examples of legends Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, and John Terry as they all have gone down in history as legends of their respective club and compared his move to that of David Beckham, who left Manchester United to join Real Madrid.

“Would Manchester United have been happy to see Ryan Giggs or Paul Scholes leave in their prime for Real Madrid? Would Chelsea have wished John Terry all the best had he followed Jose Mourinho to Spain for nothing? How would Arsenal fans feel if Bukayo Saka said he wants to fulfil a lifetime ambition to wear the white shirt in the Bernabeu?

“Those lads would 'never do that', is the predictable response. But isn’t that the point? Players are loved even more when they genuinely mean it when they say they do not want to play for anyone else. If that image of the home-grown talent living the dream is an illusion, people feel let down," he said.

"Giggs and Scholes will always be adored at United as the “Class of ’92” members who never gave any thought to leaving, while David Beckham is looked upon as someone who had a career plan and was brilliant enough to follow it,” he added.

--IANS

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