(Photo) Trent Alexander Arnold’s Liverpool mural defaced before Champions League return with Real Madrid | OneFootball

"Goodbye, Rat" graffiti appears on mural celebrating his 2019 Champions League triumph

(Photo) Trent Alexander Arnold’s Liverpool mural defaced before Champions League return with Real Madrid

Tensions are running high in Liverpool ahead of Trent Alexander Arnold’s return to Anfield — this time as Real Madrid player.

The former Liverpool vice-captain’s mural, located in the city’s Baltic Triangle district was vandalized on the eve of his comeback in Champions League group-stage clash between Liverpool & Real Madrid.

The artwork — depicting Alexander Arnold’s emotional celebration after winning the 2019 Champions League — originally bore his famous quote:

However new images circulating online on Monday show the mural defaced with white paint covering his face and shirt, alongside the words "Goodbye, Rat" sprayed in black.

This marks the third time the tribute has been vandalized. The mural was previously defaced with the word "Rat" in May — shortly before the defender’s final appearance for Liverpool — before local supporters restored it in full.

Despite the anger from sections of the fanbase, others have defended the 27 year old pointing to his decade of service and his roots in the city.

Tuesday’s emotional reunion

The vandalism only adds to the charged atmosphere ahead of Tuesday night’s Champions League showdown at Anfield where Alexander Arnold could face his boyhood club for the first time in white.