Abuse from Liverpool fans still hurts, says Trent Alexander‑Arnold
Trent Alexander‑Arnold said he continues to receive abuse from Liverpool supporters and still hopes for "a degree of understanding" 14 months after leaving Anfield for Real Madrid, he told the Mirror.
The 27‑year‑old described a disrupted first season in Spain and said he missed out on England's World Cup squad, while confirming he watches every Liverpool game and that the club will always have a "place in my heart".
On the reaction to his departure, Alexander‑Arnold said: "The booing and disappointment from Liverpool supporters is something I'm absolutely able to shoulder. I can understand it, in my own way." He added: "But I hope one day there'll be a degree of understanding about the decisions I wanted to make around my own life." He said the response "hurts" because of "how much I've put into the club over the course of 20 years and the sacrifices I made for the club during that period."
Alexander‑Arnold recalled being booed on his return to Anfield during Real's 1‑0 Champions League defeat in November but said he can "dissociate" that night and online abuse from the face‑to‑face encounters he has when visiting family in Merseyside. He described online abuse as a "sad part of life" in 2026 and said some messages have "crossed the line." "Not a single interaction I've had in person reflects the sort of stuff you get online or via social media," he said.
Asked how he deals with hostile messages, Alexander‑Arnold said: "I choose to keep those things away from me because they don't feel real," and added he can "rationalise that by knowing it's not representative of a football club I love, LFC, and it's not representative of my home city." He qualified that by saying: "This isn't me saying everyone in Liverpool is fine with me leaving the club - of course they aren't. But that's very different from the stuff that goes beyond the football."
On his international situation, Alexander‑Arnold said he went into the summer without plans and was hopeful Thomas Tuchel would take him to the World Cup, but that the call he received was not what he wanted. "I'll be honest, I was full of hope," he said "When I put the phone down, I was properly gutted. "I hope the coaching staff would expect and understand that I was angry." The last of his 34 caps came as a substitute during a 1-0 win over Andorra in June 2025, and Alexander‑Arnold has scored four goals for England.
He watched England throughout the World Cup and said his determination to return to international football remains. "Until I retire, I'm still an England player, whether I'm selected or not," he said. "I'm always available if and when the manager needs me. There's no bigger honour."
Alexander‑Arnold said he will convert disappointment into motivation for the new season and outlined his immediate aim: "I want to use it as fuel to get back into England squads and then back in an England shirt. That's an aim of mine and I hope to achieve it," he said.
