Trent Alexander-Arnold is now a rival and has tarnished his Liverpool legacy, says Jamie Carragher

Jamie Carragher believes Trent Alexander-Arnold has chosen to be a rival of Liverpool after announcing he will leave Anfield at the end of the season.

Alexander-Arnold confirmed what was widely expected this morning, that he will depart the club when his contract expires in June, with Real Madrid his most likely destination as he looks to take the next step in his career.

Liverpool fans have reacted negatively to his decision with Carragher summing up the feelings of many by predicting the 26-year-old will receive a hostile reception if he ever returns to Merseyside with Madrid.

Writing in the Telegraph, the former Liverpool defender said: “I love seeing a Liverpool-born lad doing so well he will play for Real Madrid. 

“Part of me thinks ‘well done’ but the competitive element in me also thinks swapping Liverpool red for Real Madrid white means he has chosen to become a rival.

“It means the next time he is at Anfield he will receive the same treatment as Luis Suarez when he returned to Merseyside in a Barcelona shirt.

“With Monday’s statement, the unconditional support Alexander-Arnold enjoyed from the Kop when he was fully committed to Liverpool has gone.”

After 20 years at Liverpool Football Club, now is the time for me to confirm that I will be leaving at the end of the season.

This is easily the hardest decision I’ve ever made in my life.

I know many of you have wondered why or been frustrated that I haven’t spoken about this… pic.twitter.com/emAw5RvXq0

— Trent Alexander-Arnold (@TrentAA) May 5, 2025

Trent’s legacy now tarnished, says Carragher

Alexander-Arnold has helped Liverpool to two Premier League crowns and a Champions League success after joining the club as a six-year-old boy.

But Carragher feels his legacy will now be tarnished in the eyes of many Reds fans.

He added: “What is gained in the short-term can be sacrificed in terms of a legacy once a career is over, and although it might sound like a cliché to say you are ‘part of a family’ once you are loved by the fans of the biggest, most storied clubs, it is true.

“There are many examples of truly great players who gave stellar service everywhere they went but no longer feel emotionally attached to anyone. It is not necessarily right or fair.

“It is just how it is, because supporters will differentiate between those perceived to be putting the club first in the ongoing fight to take on the superpower of Real Madrid, and those who were accused of thinking about their own career.”

Don’t tell Liverpool fans how to think

Many non-Liverpool fans remain surprised at the levels of anger directed towards Alexander-Arnold but Carragher says he understands where the Kopites are coming from.

He said: “Real are one of only two clubs to have won more European Cups than Liverpool, so when a top-class academy player makes this kind of a move, there is a simmering resentment from the local fanbase that they are trying to separate themselves from ‘their own’, or think there is something bigger or better out there for them.

“You can call that unfair, naive or even deluded all you like. In trying to explain how it is, people jump on me and tell me it is wrong to think that way, and Alexander-Arnold should be wished well on his new adventure.

“Liverpool fans are being told their reaction to Alexander-Arnold leaving is emotional more than sensible. My response to that is who is really the naive and deluded one when analysing how fans feel about such transfers?”

Liverpool’s next game at Anfield comes on Sunday when they take on Arsenal.