‘Quit Reds? Not even for Barca’
TRENT ALEXANDER-ARNOLD admits to being a secret Barcelona fan, but insists he has never considered leaving Liverpool.
And the England star says his love for the city of his birth, and the club he grew up supporting, allows him to make a definitive statement on committing his future to Anfield.
He said: “I love the club more than anything. I love everything about it. I love the city. I love the fans. Why would I think about anywhere else?”
The defender was born within a stone’s throw of Liverpool’s training ground. The Kop is passionate about their local lad and even have a song about him being the only Scouser in the team. The 21-year-old says that, when he first heard it, it was perhaps the proudest moment of his life.
So when asked if he would one day consider moving to Spain or Italy, his response was emphatic. “I’ve always supported Liverpool.
I’ve always played for them. I wouldn’t sit in my room and daydream about playing somewhere else,” he said.
He reveals a fondness for Barca because, like Liverpool, the Catalans are based in a city set apart from the rest of the nation.
“I’d say my favourite other team would be Barca. I feel as though they’ve got kind of the same values and beliefs as Liverpool,” he explained in GQ (above).
“In Liverpool, everyone’s got the same beliefs, the same drive to succeed, the same hard-work ethic, the tenacity. The passion in what they believe in is a massive thing.”
Alexander-Arnold says the fan reaction to the global squad Jurgen Klopp has assembled means all the players get what it means to be a Scouser. He added: “They understand what the club is about, the history, this tradition, the values. They didn’t grow up with it, but they get it.
“The fans’ chant is something I’m massively proud of. It’s probably everyone in the stadium’s dream to be that person who’s in the team, who’s from the city, having been a fan growing up. It’s an honour.”