Trent Alexander-Arnold was well aware that his decision to leave Liverpool would land poorly with the fans. But even some neutral observers are giving him short shrift, with Arsene Wenger the latest to indirectly criticize the decision.
The defender has been able to call on a few allies. Unsurprisingly, David Beckham and Michael Owen have both talked him up in recent months, with Alexander-Arnold expected to follow in their footsteps and join Real Madrid.
Likewise, he has been able to count on the support of his teammates since making his announcement. Mohamed Salah gave a public message of support, while Virgil van Dijk has backed his vice-captain too.
However, many have questioned whether the grass is really going to be greener for Alexander-Arnold. In truth, he has surely questioned it himself, watching the scenes of jubilation at Anfield following a title win in Arne Slot’s debut season.
In his annoucement, Alexander-Arnold insisted that he was not looking for something better. He said that he wanted to push himself somewhere new, after 20 years associated with Liverpool.
But many have recalled his previous remarks, including his eyebrow-raising admission that he would rather win the Ballon d’Or than achieve various team successes. It’s impossible not to wonder whether his decision to walk away from Liverpool is rooted in the pursuit of personal glory.
Wenger has lamented the growing prevalence of this kind of attitude in the modern game. “I was never a big fan of the Ballon d’Or because I feel it just destroyed some careers,” he said on Bein Sports.
“Individual expectation should not be the supreme target. And we are in a society where it’s only about clarification (ranking) of everybody in a sport where the team performance should be more important.”
Only he will know whether or not that was explicitly aimed at Alexander-Arnold, although he did address the move during the same show. But deliberate or not, Wenger’s remarks could hardly be more apt.
(Image: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
And to make matters worse for Alexander-Arnold, it’s hard to see how the anticipated move to Real Madrid would even bolster his Ballon d’Or credentials. He might have had more chance of winning it by staying at Anfield.
Yes, Real Madrid has been home to plenty of recent winners, but it takes an awful lot to be the star of the show at the Bernabeu. For many years, Cristiano Ronaldo was the only candidate — and after a slight period of transition, in which Luka Modric and Karim Benzema were able to capitalize, a new era of Galacticos is now firmly taking shape.
Real Madrid will always be in the running for the Champions League. But even if Alexander-Arnold wins it there, he will have to outshine Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr and his good friend Jude Bellingham along the way to even have a shot at the Ballon d’Or.
At Liverpool, any successful season was always likely to prominently feature Alexander-Arnold, because the team was constructed around him as the creative hub. To paraphrase Jurgen Klopp, he will be just another player at the Bernabeu.
It feels relevant to point out that when Owen won the Ballon d’Or, it was not at Real Madrid. He claimed it at Liverpool, where he was the star of the show.
But the more salient point is the one raised by Wenger: chasing individual honors in football is often a fool’s errand. Alexander-Arnold may well live to regret being swayed by the glamor of a Ballon d’Or that is unlikely to ever come.
