Former Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard said he would not have left the club like Trent Alexander-Arnold but backed the England player to be successful in Spain. The former Reds defender made a move to La Liga giants Real Madrid after the end of the previous season.
After his contract was finalised, Arnold said joining the Spanish giants is a dream come true for him. The right-back had added he is ready to win a lot of trophies with Los Blancos after he signed a six-year contract at the club.
The England International’s contract with Real Madrid will run until June 30, 2031.
Speaking on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, Gerrard said: “If I take my Liverpool hat off, I think any player in the game when Barcelona and Real Madrid come, it’s going to turn your head. This is me speaking without my Liverpool hat on at the moment. Real Madrid came for me with [Jose] Mourinho, serious. And it turned my head. 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. So without my Liverpool hat on, Real Madrid and Barcelona, whether you like it or not, if you’re a United fan, Liverpool fan, they’re two humongous clubs. And when they come, it’s going to turn your head. No matter who you are, it’s going to turn your head. Or you’re not. You’re not human. They’re going to turn your head.
“So I can understand it from being in Trent’s shoes. I can understand it. 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.
“But as soon as I put my Liverpool hat back on, I think, ‘what are you doing? What are you doing?’ 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? But this is with my Liverpool hat on, because I love Liverpool football club.”
Asked whether he agrees with the hostile reaction Alexander-Arnold received from some Liverpool supporters, Gerrard added: “I understand it. And you know the stick he got. So what? I got it. The next person that flirts with Real Madrid or Barcelona or blah, blah, blah, they’re going to get a stick.
“We play a game with millions and millions of people that are paying good money or they’re all on social … You’re going to get a bit of stick. You’re going to get a bit of stick. It is what it is. The stick that goes above the line, I don’t agree with. The abuse. All that, I don’t agree with that with any player. That’s not for me. That’s just a load of b——s. That’s got to stop.
“But constructive criticism from a fan who’s paying money and buying your shirt and blah, blah, blah, they deserve to have anything. 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. 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. It is what it is. That is constructive opinions in football. You have to get on with it. You have to accept. Just get on with it. And he has.”
Arnold has played only four La Liga matches for Real Madrid due to injury woes.
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