Trent Alexander Arnold clocked 27 yesterday, October 8, and the reactions to his birthday wishes have been…varied. This season, the now-27-year-old made the switch to Spain’s capital to play with 15-time UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid, a move that earned his old club no money, despite his talent.
The Real Madrid No. 12 was the most productive fullback in all his 10 years in the Premier League. He racked up 18 goals and 64 assists in the Premier League alone. That number ranks him second in goal involvements amongst defenders in the history of the competition. In all competitions, the England international has 23 goals and 86 assists. This level of production makes him 1 of 1.
Hated in Liverpool
The circumstances surrounding his departure from Liverpool left a bitter taste in the mouths of die-hard fans, as they thought he was going to renew his contract. Many Reds fans claim that their bitterness isn’t that he left, but how he left. It is understandable too, as leaving on a free transfer means that the club gets zero pounds for you. For a player of Alexander-Arnold’s ability, that’s stinging.
You can, however, make the case that the player didn’t want to tie himself to another deal in Merseyside, as that would have likely made it difficult for him to get his dream move to Real Madrid somewhere down the line. Liverpool fans expressed every emotion from nostalgia, to indifference, to sadness, and then hatred. There are Liverpool X fan accounts that take valuable time from their day to monitor his matches at Real Madrid. Off games for the fullback have seen Reds fans actually celebrate.
Despite all the Liverpool controversy, the England defender still has staunch supporters who will still pull out shiny swords to defend his honour.
Loved in Madrid (Perhaps Hated There Too)
You see, Alexander-Arnold, since moving to Real Madrid and changing his shirt name from ALEXANDER-ARNOLD to TRENT, has struggled to impress. Newly appointed manager Xabi Alonso has benched him a number of times already, and there’s talk that Real Madrid fans have started complaining.
Alexander-Arnold has never been known for his defensive acumen, but he has always made his selection easy to defend with his contributions in the final third. At Real Madrid, where he has had to play a role with more defensive responsibilities…let’s just say he’s looking less than galatico.
However, he has spent a little over three months at the club, and everyone in the Real Madrid community seems content to still give him time to settle into Spanish life.
How Did the Football World React to His Birthday?
Definitely hated in Liverpool, and maybe loved in Real Madrid, the defender still got birthday wishes from top football X accounts, including Real Madrid’s Official page, Liverpool’s official page, TNT Sports Football’s Official Page, Squawka, OneFootball, and the England National Team page. Others have also flooded the web with adulation and congratulatory messages.
Of course, Reds fans have hated the fact that their club has gone out of its way to give birthday wishes to him, after how he treated the club. Others have commended his club for being the proverbial bigger man.
Alexander-Arnold is Clearly Still Respected by All
At the heart of it, everyone knows that Alexander-Arnold is a master at the things he’s good at. His crossing is nearly impossible to replicate – or defend against. To put the defender’s crossing ability in context, he has a higher crossing accuracy than Kevin De Bruyne, with both players having over 20,000 Premier League minutes under their belts, each.
Alexander-Arnold was an irreplaceable part of the most formidable Liverpool side in the last 30 years. This is no ordinary feat, as the team had super-reliable and talented players. Even now, the Merseyside club has struggled to replace him, so as much as the fans celebrate his blunders, they miss him. Jeremie Frimpong, who was to replace the Real Madrid defender, has started from the bench in two of Liverpool’s last three matches.
When all is said and done, everyone who talks about the Real Madrid defender will admit that he was a master at his craft, and that is the most important thing.
Why Can We Learn From This?
Decisions have consequences. Alexander-Arnold made a decision that he knew the fans would not like, and he was prepared for the consequences (being hated by the Liverpool faithful). However, faced with those choices again, he’d likely make the same one. He won his club a second-ever Premier League title in his last season at the club, hoping that it’d assuage the impact of leaving, but it did not.
Another, and perhaps more important, lesson, is that you should be good at what you do. If you are, everyone will be able to agree on the important things and disagree on the less important ones. No matter how he left the Reds, the fans would have been bitter, because it is football fan culture, so how he left isn’t as important as fans will make it look. It’s definitely important to the fans, but in the grand scheme of things? Not really.
The most important thing is his performances, and after all is said and done, that’s all that’d be left.
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