Liverpool icon writes heartfelt letter to Real Madrid-bound star – ‘Chosen to become a rival’ | OneFootball

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has given a candid and emotional response to the news that Trent Alexander-Arnold will leave the club at the end of the season, with the full-back expected to sign for Real Madrid.

While Carragher expressed pride in seeing a homegrown Liverpool player reach the heights of a club like Real Madrid, he did not hide his disappointment over the decision.

Writing in The Telegraph (h/t Mundo Deportivo), Carragher laid bare the internal conflict many Liverpool supporters may feel. “Part of me thinks ‘well done,’” he wrote, acknowledging the magnitude of Alexander-Arnold’s move.

“But the competitive part of me also thinks that if he’s chosen to leave Liverpool for Real Madrid, it means he’s chosen to become a rival.

Alexander-Arnold to leave Liverpool

Alexander-Arnold, 26, confirmed on June 30 that he would leave Liverpool, closing a remarkable two-decade chapter at the club he joined as a child.

His likely destination, Real Madrid, makes the departure even more sensitive given the Spanish club’s status as a perennial Champions League competitor—and past nemesis to Liverpool.

Trent Alexander-Arnold is set to join Real Madrid. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Carragher warned that this move changes the dynamic between the player and his former club’s fan base. “With this statement, the unconditional support Alexander-Arnold enjoyed from Liverpool fans is gone,” he said.

“A team that is a Premier League champion and one of the European giants will never be happy about one of its players leaving for Real Madrid.”

“It means the next time he returns to Anfield, he’s going to receive the same treatment Luis Suárez received when he returned to Barcelona,” he added.

However, Carragher was quick to balance his criticism with praise. He reminded fans that Alexander-Arnold remains a central figure in Liverpool’s modern history, calling him a “double Premier League winner and Anfield legend.”

He fondly recalled the now-iconic assist from a corner kick to Divock Origi in the 2019 Champions League semi-final comeback against Barcelona as a defining moment in the right-back’s career.

“These are moments that can’t be erased from history. His contribution will never disappear.”

Carragher’s message reflects the bittersweet nature of this transfer. While proud of what Alexander-Arnold has achieved, the former defender made it clear that joining a club like Real Madrid carries consequences in the eyes of Liverpool’s faithful.