Tension builds as Trent Alexander-Arnold’s mural is defaced ahead of Anfield return | OneFootball

It promises to be an emotional evening at Anfield as Trent Alexander-Arnold returns to the stadium he once called home, but this time wearing the white of Real Madrid.

The English right-back’s decision to leave Liverpool this past summer sent shockwaves among the fans. 

After nearly two decades with the club, his refusal to renew his contract and subsequent move to Spain left many Reds supporters feeling betrayed. 

Now, as he steps onto the pitch once again in front of the Kop, the question looms large – will he be welcomed or jeered?

There is a clue already

Nobody truly knows what kind of reception awaits him, but there have already been troubling signs. 

Just ahead of the fixture, Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk made some notably cold remarks about Alexander-Arnold’s return, hinting that emotions might still be raw within the dressing room. 

Adding fuel to the fire, the mural dedicated to the right-back in the city, once a proud symbol of his legacy, was defaced, with the word “Rat” scrawled beneath it.

It is a painful sight for a player who joined Liverpool’s academy in 2004 and went on to become one of the club’s most influential figures of the modern era. 

His journey from a local teenager to a Champions League and Premier League winner made him an Anfield icon, which makes this return all the more emotionally charged.

TAA is charged and emotional

Speaking before the clash, Alexander-Arnold handled the situation with humility and respect.

“It’s happening so soon, mixed emotions, and I think it will be a very difficult game, but it’s one I’m excited for,” he said.

When asked about the possibility of scoring against his boyhood club, his response was heartfelt.

“Will I celebrate if I score vs Liverpool? If I were to score, I wouldn’t celebrate, to be honest. No,” he admitted.

Regardless of the reception he receives, it is bound to be a night filled with nostalgia, tension, and raw emotion, a reminder that football, at its core, is always about love, loyalty, and the pain of parting ways.