Steven Gerrard has delivered a blunt and uncompromising message to Trent Alexander-Arnold, insisting he would never have left Liverpool in the same manner as the full-back and revealing that even he once felt the magnetic pull of Real Madrid during José Mourinho’s reign in Spain.
Alexander-Arnold’s summer exit still resonates as one of the most controversial moves in recent Liverpool history. The right-back rejected a new contract at Anfield, ending a two-decade association with his boyhood club, and joined Real Madrid on what amounted to a free transfer. Liverpool ultimately received just £10 million in compensation
It was a nominal sum for a player who had become synonymous with the modern Liverpool identity. The former Liverpool vice-captain’s summer departure still stings as he was a player many believed would one day wear the armband on a permanent basis.
For Gerrard, the topic touches on loyalty, legacy, and the fine line between ambition and betrayal. Few figures in world football command more authority on the subject than the Liverpool legend. He understands the lure of Europe’s elite clubs better than most but he also knows what it means to stay and build a legacy at Anfield.
“This is me speaking without my Liverpool hat on at the moment. Real Madrid came for me with Mourinho, serious. And it turned my head,” Gerrard admitted on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast.
“It didn’t get as much traction and noise as Chelsea because it was shut down pretty quick because of the timing of it and what Real Madrid wanted me to do to manufacture that. So it never got the traction or the noise, but it turned my head. It turned my head, for sure. It’s Real Madrid.”
Gerrard has been in Alexander-Arnold’s shoes. He understands the magnetic pull of the Bernabéu, the glamour of the Galácticos, and the sense that Europe’s biggest stages offer the fastest route to individual glory. But he also understands the responsibilities that come with wearing the Liverpool badge.
Any player in the game when Barcelona and Real Madrid come, it’s going to turn your head. When they come, no matter who you are, it’s going to turn your head. Or you’re not human,” Gerrard said.
“I can understand it from being in Trent’s shoes. I get it. His best mate plays there. Maybe he wants to challenge himself. He’s won everything at Liverpool. So there’s a part of me that really understands it.”
Liverpool supporters have endured painful exits before Luis Suárez, Philippe Coutinho, Raheem Sterling but few hits the fanbase with quite the emotional weight of Alexander-Arnold’s move. This was not a fringe player, nor a fading star. This was a local lad from West Derby who joined Liverpool’s Academy at six, rose through the ranks, and became a talismanic figure under Jürgen Klopp.
The right-back had won everything Liverpool could offer: Premier League glory, Champions League triumphs, FIFA Club World Cup medals, and a place in the England squad. He had even spoken openly about captaining the club one day, and his words about loyalty and winning at Anfield “meaning more” were stitched into murals and chants across the city.
And yet, in June, Alexander-Arnold allowed his contract to expire quietly and slipped away to Spain for a fraction of what he might have commanded just a few years earlier.
“As soon as I put my Liverpool hat back on, I think, what are you doing?” Gerrard said.
“You’re arguably one of the best teams in Europe. You’re winning things that I sit here now and still dream of winning. You’re winning European Cups. You’re one of the main men. The fans adore you. What are you doing?”
Gerrard’s words were delivered without malice — there’s a deep affection there. He has watched Alexander-Arnold grow from academy prospect to world-class playmaker, a footballer whose passing range he places alongside Beckham and Scholes. But there was also an unmistakable warning.
“To leave Liverpool Football Club where he was at, in his prime years, getting offered a new contract… he took a risk in my opinion,” Gerrard added.
“And I think he’s living that risk now. I hope it works for him because I love the kid. Love the kid to bits. I wouldn’t have done it.”
Gerrard’s own career offers insight into the dilemma faced by Alexander-Arnold. In 2005, Chelsea made a £16 million bid for the Liverpool captain, just months after the dramatic Istanbul final. Gerrard admits it “turned his head,” but he ultimately chose to remain at Anfield. The decision elevated him from hero to immortal in Liverpool folklore.
“It didn’t get the traction or the noise, but it turned my head. Real Madrid, Barcelona they’re two humongous clubs,” Gerrard said.
“But I stayed. And staying, that’s part of what makes you a legend at a club like Liverpool. I would have never left in the same way Trent did.”
Despite this, Gerrard stresses that he can empathise with Alexander-Arnold’s decision. He recognises the pull of ambition, the desire to challenge oneself, and the fact that the Spaniard’s move comes with the chance to test himself at one of the world’s biggest clubs.
“I can understand it from being in Trent’s shoes. Maybe he wants to challenge himself. He’s won everything at Liverpool. There’s a part of me that really understands it,” Gerrard said.
“But with my Liverpool hat back on… it’s hard. It’s very hard.”
Many Liverpool fans were left reeling by the move. Some even booed the defender when he came off the bench in the final months of last season. Gerrard, however, makes a clear distinction between constructive criticism and abuse.
“The next person that flirts with Real Madrid or Barcelona or blah, blah, blah, they’re going to get a stick,” he said.
“We play a game with millions of people paying good money… you’re going to get a bit of stick. But the stick that goes above the line the abuse I don’t agree with. That’s just a load of b******s. It’s got to stop.”
Fans, he added, have a right to voice opinions, especially when they invest time and money to watch a player’s progress.
“They’re the same people that were watching Trent’s goals on the phone or spending three grand to go to Dortmund to see Trent score a free kick,” Gerrard said.
“They’re the same people that adore him, that are spending 90 quid on a shirt. You’ve got to accept it, get on with it. And he has. he has.”
Gerrard acknowledges Alexander-Arnold is taking a significant gamble. Moving from a club where he is adored and integral, to a new country, a new league, and the glare of one of football’s most intense fanbases, is a leap into the unknown.
“I just think he took a big risk on. He’s an extremely good footballer, a very talented footballer. One of the best passers I’ve ever seen, and I’ve played with some good passers,” Gerrard said.
“He’s up there with them. He’s in the conversation with Beckham and Scholes, no problem. But to leave Liverpool in his prime, when he was getting a new contract, he took a risk in my opinion. And I think he’s living that risk now. I hope it works for him because I love the kid. Love the kid to bits. I wouldn’t have done it.”
Alexander-Arnold’s debut season in Madrid has been far from perfect. The defender picked up a hamstring injury in just the eighth minute of his La Liga opener against Real Sociedad and is not expected to return until November. For all the glamour of the Bernabéu, football’s biggest stage brings new pressures, and Gerrard knows first-hand how players are judged when they leave the nest.
“He’s good enough to make it work. He’s good enough to make it work. I wouldn’t have done it. But he’s got the talent, the mentality, and the ability. We’ll see if it all comes together,” Gerrard concluded.
In the end, Alexander-Arnold’s story is still being written. The talent is undeniable, the potential immense but whether this bold step will elevate him to the heights he dreams of, or test him in ways he has yet to face, only time will tell.
