Liverpool star Andy Robertson paid an emotional tribute to departing teammate and “brother” Trent Alexander-Arnold as they prepare for their final game together at Anfield.
The Reds pair could well take to the field for a final time as colleagues on what promises to be a day of celebration on the final day of the Premier League season. The newly-crowned English champions will take on the FA Cup winners at the weekend in what will also be Alexander-Arnold’s last dance for his boyhood club.
The right-back has announced his intention to depart Liverpool at the end of the campaign as he looks set to embark on a new chapter in his career at Real Madrid. Now, fellow full-back Robertson has hailed his long-term teammate after eight years serving on opposing flanks.
Both mainstays during the sucessful Jurgen Klopp era at Anfield, they have carried that success into Arne Slot’s tenure, featuring regularly as Liverpool secured a second league title in the space of five years. Together the pair transformed the role of a full-back in the wider game – and the duo sit at the top of the all-time standings in terms of assists by a defender.
Robertson admitted that he will “miss” his colleague both on and off the pitch. While it remains to be seen whether Alexander-Arnold has already played his last game in red, his Scottish teammate spoke in glowing terms about the outgoing defender.
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On Instagram, he wrote: “My brother, where to even start! It has been an absolute privilege watching you grow from a boy to a man over these last 8 years.
“You have won it all and created amazing memories along the way,” he continued, in the caption of a photograph of the pair holding the European Cup aloft together in 2019. “I want to thank you for constantly pushing me to new limits and setting the bar so high that I had no choice but to follow.
“You are going to be a huge miss around the training ground and an even bigger miss on the pitch. I hope all the hard work you have put into this club, the moments you have given us and the massive contribution you have made are recognised as they should be…..
Wingmen one last time.”
Recently, Robertson also expressed his sorrow at the mixed reception Alexander-Arnold received from sections of the Liverpool fanbase after he announced that he will leave this summer. Speaking after a clash with Arsenal after the right-back was jeered at one point during his substitute appearance, the Scotland captain tried to give a balanced verdict on the incident.
He told Sky Sports: “There’s a lot of emotion around it. “I think it’s crucial in these moments that I don’t tell you how to feel and you don’t tell me how to feel — but I can tell you how I feel, and that’s disappointed to lose my best mate in the game.
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“We’ve done it all together. He’s an amazing player and an amazing person. He’s made me a better player, and that’s from the bottom of my heart. He’s taken me to levels that I never new existed. He has pushed me through the good years and he’s made a choice.
“His legacy at this club is there for everybody to see, the trophies he’s won, and the moments he’s had in history will always be there.”
