Trent Alexander-Arnold's past claim that winning trophies with Liverpool meant more than Manchester City's honours has taken on new significance after an independent commission found City guilty of 114 charges for breaching Premier League financial regulations and failing to co-operate with the investigation.
The 27-year-old, who left Liverpool for Real Madrid after seeing out his contract, made the comments in an interview with FourFourTwo in March 2024. He acknowledged that Liverpool had not won as much as City during his time at Anfield.
Alexander-Arnold's 2024 comments
“It’s tough. We’re up against a machine that’s built to win,” he said. “That’s the simplest way to describe City and their organisation.
“Looking back on this era, although they’ve won more titles than us and have probably been more successful, our trophies will mean more to us and our fanbase because of the situations at both clubs, financially.
“How both clubs have built their teams and the manner in which we’ve done it, probably means more to our fans.”
Haaland's response
Erling Haaland later hit back at the then-Liverpool defender, saying he did not know what it felt like to win the treble.
“If he wants to say that, OK. I've been here one year and I won the treble and it was quite a nice feeling,” Haaland told Sky Sports. “I don't think he knows exactly this feeling.
“So yeah, that is what I felt last season and it was quite nice. They can talk as much as they want, or he can talk as much as he wants. I don't know why he does that, but I do not mind.”
Impact of the verdict
Alexander-Arnold made his Liverpool debut in October 2016 and went on to make 354 appearances during his nine years in the first team. He won two Premier League titles, the Champions League, the FA Cup, the League Cup, the FIFA Club World Cup and the European Super Cup, mostly under Jurgen Klopp.
His time in the Reds side coincided with the end of the period in which City were found guilty of breaching regulations, between 2009 and 2018, as well as their subsequent dominance under Pep Guardiola. Liverpool lost two Premier League titles to City by a solitary point despite accumulating over 90 points themselves.
While Liverpool lifted eight trophies under Klopp and Arne Slot over the past eight years, City won 15 in the years after the period under investigation. City continue to maintain their innocence, but the verdict places a significant asterisk next to all honours won since 2009, including Haaland's treble, subsequent second Premier League title and FA Cup, and triumphs in the League Cup and European Super Cup.
Alexander-Arnold did not appear to be alluding to the allegations against City when making his claim in 2024, but over two and a half years later, his comments carry extra meaning. With a guilty verdict now in, the former Liverpool vice-captain was right: he might not have won as much as his counterparts at the Etihad, but given everything now known, the prizes he lifted certainly meant more.
