By the time Trent Alexander-Arnold etched his status as a potential Liverpool legend a few years into his spell at the club, the Anfield faithful would have dreamt of him being the next Steven Gerrard.
Gerrard spent 17 years as a first-team player in Merseyside before embarking on a one-year stint at LA Galaxy.
But Alexander-Arnold knew he was headed to Real Madrid in January and was ready to inform Liverpool about his decision.
Trent Alexander-Arnold is a boyhood Reds fan but ultimately, it has been historically difficult for most players to have ever played the game to turn down a move to the Spanish capital.
Alexander-Arnold has agreed to join Real Madrid verbally and all that is left is for him to put pen to paper — making the kind of move Steven Gerrard could have but never did.
Steven Gerrard on rejecting Real Madrid as Trent Alexander-Arnold set for move
Arne Slot named Gerrard as Liverpool’s greatest-ever player and a part of the reason why that remains a widespread opinion is due to his undying loyalty to the club.
In Alexander-Arnold’s case, many might feel he lacks Steven Gerrard’s love for Liverpool which has ultimately led to him looking set to don a Real Madrid shirt next season.
The former Reds captain could have well have left his boyhood club as well and possibly won trophies galore elsewhere.
On BBC’s The Clare Balding Show in 2013, Steven Gerrard admitted that Real Madrid tried signing him at and while he was tempted, he chose to stay at Liverpool — which is where his story differs to Alexander-Arnold: “Yeah, very much so. You know, when Jose Mourinho comes calling, it puts a player in a very difficult position.”
Gerrard added: “Only that I’d been at Liverpool from eight years of age and all my family are Reds and that the club means so much to me, so he [Mourinho] put me in a difficult position three times [at Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid].”
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What Liverpool did to convince Trent Alexander-Arnold to snub Real Madrid
Ultimately, Alexander-Arnold is his own person and he should not be expected to mirror Steven Gerrard in every possible respect.
Alexander-Arnold is a Premier League legend and having dominated English football, he would have liked to take a new step in his career.
Liverpool offered Alexander-Arnold a historic contract that would have made him the highest-paid English player in the Premier League.
| TRENT ALEXANDER-ARNOLD STATS FOR LIVERPOOL | |
| APPEARANCES | 349 |
| GOALS | 22 |
| ASSISTS | 87 |
However, it seems like the 26-year-old’s mind was made up for a while.
Steven Gerrard will perhaps understand Alexander-Arnold’s decision as his head was turned as well when Real Madrid came calling.
