ISTANBUL MIRACLE INSPIRED TRENT’S RIDE TO THE TOP

That magical second half... I’ve probably watched it 10 or15 times

TRENT Alexander-arnold was six years old when the open-top bus carrying Liverpool’s Champions League winners through the city passed by his family home on Queens Drive.

Now the teenager wants to follow local heroes like Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher by getting his own ticket to ride.

Alexander-arnold (below) has put some Scouse blood in Jurgen Klopp’s team this season, proving that Gerrard was right when he said the versatile kid who used to stand outside the club’s Melwood training ground pleading for autographs is going places.

The 2005 Miracle of Istanbul certainly had a big effect. “I remember at the house we had flags hanging outside the windows,” said the 19-year-old, who came through the ranks at Kirkby as a midfielder but has excelled at right-back this term.

“At half-time, when we were 3-0 down, I just remember the whole room being silent. No one could quite believe what had happened.

“We were heartbroken as a city, I guess, and then just seeing that magical second-half comeback. I’ve probably watched that game back about 10 or 15 times.

“The next day, the bus came right past my house. We were all just standing on the wall outside, me and my mates, playing footy in the front garden just waiting for them to come.

“Then you hear the commotion and you see all the players on the open-top bus going right past your house with the Champions’ League trophy.

“It was just unbelievable. You see your idols standing up there and you see the reaction of the whole city.

“It just brought so much joy to Liverpool and hopefully one day the club will be able to enjoy that again.”

Alexander-arnold was always destined to wear Liverpool red – even though his Uncle John was club secretary at Manchester United.

“He never put any pressure on me to sign for United because he knew my heart was always with Liverpool,” he said.

And Alexander-arnold certainly has a big heart.

He is happy to give up some of his precious spare time to the local charity ‘An Hour For Others’ and has taken a special interest in young cerebral palsy sufferer Louis Henry. “It was my best friend’s auntie who started the charity and when I was asked to help out I tried to do what I could to use whatever profile I’ve got to promote the organisation.

“It has shown me that just giving up a little bit of my time can make such a big difference. It’s so simple to give up just an hour of your day to help someone.

“Me and my mum have developed a really close relationship with Louis and his family and I have been to his home two or three times to see how he is getting on.

“I could see how much just speaking to him gave him that little bit more motivation to fight his illness and I hope I can keep supporting him on his journey.”