Trent Alexander-Arnold is poised to join Real Madrid on a free transfer at the end of the season and will follow in the footsteps of five other Liverpool stars by making such a move
For Liverpool fans, the Trent Alexander-Arnold saga now seems to be drawing to a close, albeit a painful one. After months of public courting, Real Madrid are closing in on a deal which will see the defender join them as a free agent this summer.
Alexander-Arnold, 26, has been on Liverpool’s books for over 20 years. But it now seems as though his long affiliation with the club is coming to an end.
Nothing has been signed as of yet – according to Liverpool – but multiple reports now claim the player is set on moving to the Bernabeu, with a deal expected to be completed sooner rather than later.
The road from Merseyside to Madrid is, as it turns out, a pretty well-travelled one with Liverpool having seen plenty of stars swap Anfield for the Bernabeu in the years prior to Alexander-Arnold’s impending exit. Here, Mirror Football looks at how five former Liverpool players who went directly from the Reds to Real Madrid fared as Alexander-Arnold prepares to make a similar jump…
READ MORE: Premier League injury check after international break as Arsenal and Liverpool suffer setbacksREAD MORE: ‘Is this a joke?’ – Inside Liverpool meeting that paved way for Trent Alexander-Arnold exit
Steve McManaman
Where else to start than with McManaman? Like Alexander-Arnold, McManaman was a Liverpool academy graduate who ran his contract down before swapping the Premier League for La Liga. The move was highly controversial at the time as McManaman went in search of trophies and immortality overseas.
Fortunately for him, the move was a resounding success. During his four seasons in Spain, McManaman amassed two Spanish titles and two Champions League trophies. He even plundered one of the three goals in Los Blancos’ triumph over Valencia in the Champions League final back in 2000.
With McManaman holding his own amid Real Madrid’s band of ‘Galacticos’ during that same period, when it comes to regrets, it’s hard to see him having many.
Michael Owen
Another hometown hero gone AWOL, Owen failed to replicate the heights he hit at Anfield over in Spain. As far as mitigating circumstances go, though, the presence of Raul and Ronaldo are right up there.
Owen still managed to accumulate a highly respectable 13 goals in 36 league games for Real. But by his own admission, he struggled to acclimatise to life in Spain and ending up pursuing a prompt return to England with Newcastle.
Xabi Alonso
Alonso may not have been forged in Liverpool’s academy like Messrs McManaman and Owen, but that’s not to say his departure – back in the summer of 2009 – stung any less. A classy operator, Alonso was the orchestrator-in-chief of Rafael Benitez’s side which ran Manchester United close in the title race.
A midfielder with Alonso’s repertoire was always going to adapt seamlessly to life back in La Liga, and the former Real Sociedad star became an influential figure. He only won the league once, though, along with one Champions League triumph before moving on to Bayern Munich.
Jerzy Dudek
Liverpool’s Istanbul hero also went from Anfield to the Bernabeu in the twilight years of his career. But just as it was in his final days with the Reds, Dudek‘s brief at Real Madrid was very much a watching one.
The Polish goalkeeper made just two league appearances across four seasons in Spain. During that lean period Real Madrid themselves only won one La Liga title, a Copa Del Rey and a Spanish Super Cup.
Alvaro Arbeloa
Once a marauding right-back, Arbeloa is still on the books of Real Madrid, albeit now in the form of a highly-rated youth coach. In between stints in England with Liverpool and West Ham, Arbeloa became somewhat of a stalwart for Los Blancos, making over 200 appearances.
While Arbeloa played regularly, like Dudek, domestic titles came at a premium during his time in Spain. He won La Liga just the once but did win the Champions League twice and both the Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup.
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