Trent Alexander-Arnold has opened up on life since leaving Liverpool, revealing the abuse he faced online following his departure from the Reds last summer. The Liverpool-born full-back was a fan favourite at Anfield until his contract expired and he joined Real Madrid. He was dropped from the starting 11 and benched at the end of the season before completing his move to the Spanish capital.
Online abuse and mental health
The 27-year-old explained the wider impact of online abuse is a serious issue and one he feels needs to be addressed by both 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 added: "Since leaving for Real Madrid, I’ve been back to Liverpool to visit family on a number of occasions. 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."
Love for Liverpool remains
Trent, who grew up in the city and played for the club 259 times after joining the Reds at the age of six, said his love for Liverpool FC has not wavered. "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."
Since leaving his home city, Trent has received a plethora of abusive messages which "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."
Return to Anfield and England heartache
When he returned to Anfield when Liverpool took on Real Madrid in the Champions League, Alexander-Arnold was jeered when he came on from the bench towards the end of the match. He said: "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. 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."
As well as anger inside the stadium, the word "rat" was repeatedly daubed over a mural celebrating Trent nearby. He was sent the image by a friend and it weighed on his mind when he returned to the city for the match. "Going back to Liverpool after everything that’s happened, it was on my mind," he says, adding his family was also 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." Trent said he found the whole day hard to process adding: "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."
Trent was left out of the England squad as Thomas Tuchel's side jetted off for the World Cup. "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 believed his performances at the back end of the season had been enough to give him reason to get the call and he was furious by the rejection.
"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 Trent 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 their frustrations after being overlooked, Trent 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."
Trent 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." Rather than allowing the rejection to consume him, Trent plans to use it to try to force his way back into Tuchel’s thinking. "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 squad and then back in an England shirt. That’s an aim of mine and I hope to achieve it."
