Trent Alexander-Arnold says Liverpool exit pain is eased by support in his home city

Trent Alexander-Arnold says the reaction to his move from Liverpool to Real Madrid has been painful, particularly because of the sacrifices he made during two decades at the club, but insists he will always regard Liverpool as his home.

The England international was speaking to the Mirror in his first extended interview since leaving Anfield for Real Madrid last summer.

Alexander-Arnold was booed when he returned to Anfield with his new club, while the word “rat” was repeatedly written on a mural celebrating him near the stadium. One of his friends sent him a photograph of the graffiti.

The 27-year-old said he could accept supporters expressing their disappointment inside the stadium, but objected to abuse and threats delivered online.

“There’s a difference between fans expressing their anger inside the stadium and things that have crossed the line,” he said.

“Online abuse, threats that come through direct messages on social media, or in other ways, are a sad part of life in 2026 if you are a public figure and do things that attract a lot of attention.”

Alexander-Arnold said the hostility directed at him online did not represent the club or city he loved.

“I can accept that, knowing it doesn’t represent the football club I love, Liverpool, and it doesn’t represent my city,” he added. “The boos and disappointment from Liverpool fans are something I can absolutely deal with. I can understand it in my own way.”

He said he respected the right of Liverpool supporters to form their own views about his departure, while hoping they might eventually understand that he was making decisions about his personal life.

“I heard a lot during that period that Liverpool fans don’t want to be told how to feel or think, and I agree with that,” said Alexander-Arnold. “But I hope that one day there will be some understanding of the decisions I wanted to make in my own life.”

The defender, who came through Liverpool’s academy and made his first-team debut in 2016, said the response had affected him because of his long association with the club.

“It hurts me because of what I gave to the club over 20 years and the sacrifices I made during that time,” he said. “So of course it hurts, but I understand the disappointment. I even understand the anger expressed through boos.”

Alexander-Arnold also admitted that returning to Anfield with Real Madrid had occupied his thoughts in the build-up to the match, with the experience affecting his family as well.

“Going back to Liverpool after everything that had happened… it was on my mind,” he said.

He found the entire day difficult to process, including entering the visiting team’s dressing room for the first time.

“Even from the start, even the idea of going into the away dressing room was strange,” he said. “I had never set foot in it before.”

Alexander-Arnold has previously been subjected to hateful racist abuse online. He said the wider issue of threats, social-media pile-ons and their effect on people’s mental health required action from governments and technology companies.

“I think it’s a real issue,” he said. “But it’s something governments and technology companies need to solve. I have kind of protected myself from it as much as possible, but I understand that for some people that isn’t possible.”

The full-back said his experiences in Liverpool since moving to Real Madrid had helped him separate online abuse from the way people viewed him in everyday life.

“Since leaving for Real Madrid, I have returned to Liverpool to visit my family on several occasions,” he said. “I have crossed paths with lots of people from Liverpool and Liverpool fans while going about my business. None of the personal interactions I have had reflect the kind of things you get online or on social media. That helps me separate it from my reality.”

He acknowledged that not everyone in Liverpool was happy with his decision to leave, but said such disappointment was very different from abuse that went beyond football.

“That doesn’t mean I’m saying everyone in Liverpool is happy that I left the club. Of course they’re not,” he added. “But that is very different from things that go beyond football. That’s why I don’t allow myself to become too frustrated or dwell on it.”

Despite moving to Real Madrid, Alexander-Arnold said he continued to watch Liverpool and wanted the club to succeed.

“I still watch every Liverpool game. I support them. I want to see them succeed,” he said. “I enjoy watching them, and there will always be a place in my heart for Liverpool, whatever happens. It is my home. It is the place that gave me the opportunities to do what I have done, and I will always love it. It is a place I will always call home.”