Today, the words of The Normal One ring ever louder in the ears of Liverpool fans as they face the infidelity of one of their own. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool-born and -bred, looks set to snub a lucrative contract offer from the team he has played for since the age of 6, instead opting to join the likes of Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappé and Vinicíus Jr. at Real Madrid on a free transfer, becoming the next installation in Los Blancos’ “Galácticos” philosophy of plundering ready-made talent from around the globe.
Liverpool Football Club is a religion in the city, and in the eyes of the locals, this is a betrayal of biblical proportions. Alexander-Arnold was firmly in the Steven Gerrard mold of the local hero captaining his boyhood club to domestic and European glory, all the while carrying the distinctive chip on the shoulder of any Scouser daring enough to take on the world on behalf of his city.
“The Scouser in our team,” as he was once affectionally dubbed by Liverpool faithful is now the target of Kop fury, with the finalization of his move to the Bernabéu appearing to be all but a formality. Supporters are taking to the streets, burning jerseys bearing his distinctive number 66. His famous mural on Anfield Road has been the subject of much online discourse over the best method of defacing, ensuring the player is acutely aware of the excommunication he faces should he swap Merseyside for Madrid.
To those outside the cultural sphere that is the city of Liverpool and its team, the level of outrage may seem disproportionate; however, locals beg to differ. For Liverpool natives, this is their champion, their pride and joy, who is so coldly turning his back on his leagues of adoring fans without so much as signing a contract that would allow Liverpool to demand the hefty transfer fee a player of his caliber would command.
Time still remains for Alexander-Arnold to salvage his tarnished image in the city, and pressure will heap on the right back as fellow Liverpool stars Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk highlight their loyalty by putting pen to paper on new deals to keep them at the forefront of one of the world’s biggest sporting institutions. However, only time will tell if the Anfield faithful will ever truly be able to forgive and forget this mutiny from one of the sons of their city.
