Trent Alexander-Arnold’s choice between dream Real Madrid move or Liverpool legacy

LONDON – Trent Alexander-Arnold’s proposed transfer from Liverpool to Real Madrid has split opinion on whether a local hero can leave Merseyside without a lasting stain on his legacy.

The English defender joined the Reds 20 years ago as a six-year-old and has gone on to win a clean sweep of English Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup, Uefa Super Cup and Club World Cup titles.

His status is reflected in a mural that stands just metres from Anfield, emblazoned with the quote: “I’m just a normal lad from Liverpool whose dream has just come true.”

However, how he will be remembered for years to come in his home city will, for many, be dictated by the decision he takes in the coming weeks over his future.

Alexander-Arnold’s contract expires at the end of the season, meaning Real have to pay no transfer fee for a player who has smashed Premier League records when it comes to a creative output from a right-back.

Here are the key considerations facing the 26-year-old ahead of a career-defining call.

Real’s compelling case

Liverpool like to lord over their Premier League rivals their six European Cup or Champions League triumphs, as by a distance they are most successful English club in the competition’s history.

However, Real are in a league of their own with 15 similar titles, including six in the past 11 years.

On top of the lifestyle benefits that a switch to the Spanish sunshine offers, Alexander-Arnold would be lining up each week alongside his close friend and England colleague Jude Bellingham, among a cast of stars also including formidable forwards Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr.

The spotlight at the state-of-the-art, newly refurbished Santiago Bernabeu could also offer him the chance to fulfil his dream of becoming the first fullback to win the Ballon d’Or.

“I believe I can (win it). It’s only the morning after you retire that you’re able to look in the mirror and say, ‘I gave it everything I got’,” Alexander-Arnold told Sky Sports earlier this season.

“It doesn’t matter how many trophies you win or how many medals you’ve got. It matters what you give to the game and if you reach your full potential.”

By running his contract down, he is also in a strong position to make millions from a signing-on bonus in lieu of Real having to pay a huge transfer fee.

And he can argue there is little more to be gained by staying at Anfield. Liverpool are 12 points clear at the top of the Premier League, meaning by the time his current deal expires, Alexander-Arnold should be a two-time English champion to go with six other major trophies.

He has been successful, but should he be blamed for aiming higher?

“His legacy, I hope, is one of an outstanding home-grown footballer who’s done incredibly well for this club,” Steve McManaman, who himself made the move from Liverpool to Real on a free transfer back in 1999, told the BBC.

May be swayed by the Gerrard way

McManaman won two Champions Leagues and two La Liga titles in his four years in the Spanish capital and yet is being used as the counter-argument encouraging Alexander-Arnold to stay.

“It’s about his legacy at Liverpool and how he is seen. Do you want to be seen like (Steven) Gerrard or McManaman?” former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, himself a one-club legend, said on Alexander-Arnold’s choice.

“He (McManaman) went to Real Madrid and won cups, but he is not adored. If he stays, he will be remembered as one of the best to play for the club and not far behind Gerrard.”

Alexander-Arnold is already the club’s vice-captain and would be the natural heir to captain Virgil van Dijk, whose contract is also expiring at the end of season.

In contrast to the era of Gerrard, McManaman and Michael Owen, who also swopped Liverpool for Real in 2004, he is part of a side regularly competing at the top of the Premier League and Champions League.

Should he stay, Alexander-Arnold could be front and centre of trophy lifts in years to come as a local lad turned legend.

But Liverpool are just the latest club to learn that the magnetism of Real is hard to resist. AFP