SMART ALEX
Kop star Trent watched Ronaldo on Youtube, now he’ll be using his ‘knowledge’ to try to stop him in the Champions League Final
AS a kid, Trent Alexander-arnold would view clips of football stars on Youtube, looking for hints on the road to a professional career. Little did he know how invaluable would be those long hours studying Cristiano Ronaldo, given he will go up against the Real Madrid maestro in the Champions League Final.
It is hard to get across the 19-year-old right-back’s meteoric rise since his first steps into the Liverpool squad under Jurgen Klopp (right). But that he will be marking stars he used to pretend to be on video games says it all. He will become the youngest Reds player to appear in the European Cup Final, and even for one so level-headed, that is mind-blowing, especially facing one of the icons he grew up admiring and longing to be.
He said: “With Ronaldo being one of the greats, probably one of the best players ever, it’s going to be an honour to hopefully play against him.
“You know a lot about him and the likes of Messi because you watch them on Youtube when you’re growing up. You always watch those type of players.
“But you just have to focus on the game and if he’s a direct opponent you have to see what the strengths and weaknesses are and use them to your advantage.”
Alexander-arnold never quite got to share a dressing room with his biggest idol as a kid, Steven Gerrard. His promotion to the first-team aged 17 came soon after the Anfield legend had departed.
He sheepishly admits he was a Ronaldo fan, but “not when he was playing for Manchester United though. He’s an unbelievable player and he’s done exceptional things in the game.
“The numbers he does season in, season out are unbelievable. Come May 26 we’ll be looking to stop him and the rest of Real Madrid. Obviously they are a very strong team, so no matter who you’re up against it’s going to be one of the best players in the world.”
If there were fears he would be overawed by such a huge game, he dismissed them with performances against both Manchester City and Roma in previous rounds.
He will comfortably beat the record of David Fairclough, who was 21 when he played against Bruges in the 1978 European Cup Final.
“I want to challenge myself and test myself against the best in the world and there’s not many better than the likes of Ronaldo,” Alexanderarnold added. “It will be a huge test for everyone and hopefully we come out on top.”
Georginio Wijnaldum has challenged his team-mates to write their own chapter of Reds history against Real.
“You can put yourself there with legends who won the Champions League,” he said.