Trent Alexander-Arnold has spoken for the first time in depth about the abuse he received after leaving Liverpool for Real Madrid, saying he still watches every game and will always love his boyhood club.
In an exclusive interview with the Mirror, the England star detailed the acrimonious nature of his departure, including being booed on his return to Anfield last November for a Champions League match that Liverpool lost 1-0. He was jeered by fans when introduced from the bench in the 80th minute, and during the warm-up.
Abuse online and in person
Alexander-Arnold said there was a difference between supporters expressing fury inside a stadium and the “stuff that crossed the line.” He said: “Abuse online and threats made via social DMs or in other ways are a sad part of life in 2026 if you’re in the public eye and doing things that create a lot of attention. I choose to keep those things away from me because they don’t feel real.”
He added: “I 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.”
As well as anger inside the stadium, the word "rat" was repeatedly daubed over a mural celebrating him nearby. A friend sent him the image, and it weighed on him when he returned to the city for the match. "Going back to Liverpool after everything that’s happened it was on my mind," he said, adding that his family were also left upset. "If I'm honest, if something affects me and upsets me, it shows in my family as well. They are in it with me…we’re together."
Understanding the booing
Alexander-Arnold said he is able to shoulder the booing from Liverpool supporters. "The booing and disappointment from Liverpool supporters is something I’m absolutely able to shoulder. I can understand it, in my own way. I heard a lot during that period that Liverpool fans didn’t want to be told how to feel or think, and I agree. But I hope one day there’ll be a degree of understanding about the decisions I wanted to make around my own life."
He added: "It 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. So of course it hurts, but I understand the disappointment. I even understand anger expressed through booing."
The right-back found the whole day hard to process. He admitted: "Even from the outset, even the thought of going into the away changing room was strange. I’d never actually stepped foot in there before."
Wider issue and personal reception
Alexander-Arnold believes the wider impact of online abuse is a serious issue that needs to be addressed by politicians and technology companies. He said: "On threats to people via social media, social media pile-ons and the impact they can have on people’s mental health, I think that’s a proper topic. But it’s for governments and tech companies to solve. I’ve kind of protected myself from that as much as possible, but I get that for some people it’s not possible."
He has found reassurance in the difference between the vitriol online and the reception he receives when he returns to Merseyside. "Since leaving for Real Madrid, I’ve been back to Liverpool to visit family on a number of occasions," he said. "I’ve bumped into lots of fellow Scousers and Reds when I’ve been on my travels. Not a single interaction I’ve had in person reflects the sort of stuff you get online or via social media. So that helps me disassociate it.
"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. It’s why I don’t allow myself to get too down about it and I don’t dwell on it."
A local boy who joined the academy aged six, he rose through the ranks to play 259 times for the club. Despite the bitterness, his feelings towards Liverpool appear unchanged. "I still watch every game," he said. "I support them. I want to see them do well. I enjoy watching them, and there will always be a place in my heart for Liverpool, no matter what. It is home to me. It’s the place that gave me the opportunities to go and do what I’ve done and I will always love it. It’s always a place that I’ll call home."
World Cup heartache
Alexander-Arnold also spoke of his heartache after missing out on England’s World Cup squad, remembering the day earlier this year when Thomas Tuchel broke the news to him. "I was aware the calls were underway," he said. "Other players I knew had had their call the day before. I’ll be honest, I was full of hope. When the call came, I was at home in Madrid. I had some family over visiting and I went to my bedroom to take the call. When I put the phone down, I was properly gutted. Absolutely gutted. I’d made no plans for my summer because I hoped I’d be in the squad."
He had continued pushing to force his way into Tuchel’s plans and felt his performances during the closing stages of the season had given him reason to believe he might make it. The rejection left him not merely disappointed but furious too. "I hope the coaching staff would expect and understand that I was angry," he said. "He wants players who are desperate to play for England. I am one of those. I think he would respect the fact that it really hurt me and prefer that to me not being bothered."
That hurt is particularly acute given the fierce competition he has faced throughout his international career. "We’ve had a lot of really, really good right-backs in this generation that I’ve been playing in so far," he said. "There’s been a lot of competition, and the managers choose who they feel is the best fit for the team. That’s never really been me so far. But I guess I use it as motivation to push."
Unlike players who have publicly aired frustrations after being overlooked, he believes there was little to be gained by complaining. "Some things just don’t need to be said," he said. "I think everybody would have known that I was disappointed. Speaking out in public is not going to change the manager’s decision. He’s made his mind up. He’s decided what he has. There’s no changing it. Life goes on."
He watched England throughout the World Cup and insists his exclusion has done nothing to diminish his determination to represent his country. "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."
He plans to use the rejection as fuel. "I’ll take those feelings into this season and turn them into a positive," he said. "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."
Grief for Diogo Jota
Alexander-Arnold also told of his struggle in the aftermath of Liverpool forward Diogo Jota's death in a car crash, aged 28. He was in America at the Club World Cup with Real Madrid when his former teammate was killed. Being so far away from Liverpool and his ex-colleagues was a "very, very difficult time."
He said: "I think that's what was difficult….going through it on your own. Everybody else who had known him for that amount of time were all grouped together. It was difficult, and then having to continue to play games and them being so far away was hard. But coming back to Anfield and being able to go to the stadium and put some flowers down really helped me get that closure."
Opening up about Diogo, he said the two of them "spoke every day." He added: "I was injured a couple of times when he was and we were doing our training to get back fit together, and we were both very competitive. So we would always, you know, have different competitions between ourselves. Those are the kind of memories that I'll hold close to me. He was just a really good guy. Like he was very honest. That's one of the best attributes that anybody can have. He was hardworking. He loved what he did, and was a massive family man."
