Alex MacQuoid
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s mural near Anfield has been vandalised just hours before his highly anticipated return to Liverpool — this time wearing the white of Real Madrid in the Champions League.
The full-back, who left his boyhood club on a free transfer earlier this year, is set to face the Reds for the first time since his controversial departure. But the pre-match tension is already boiling over on Merseyside.
Early on Tuesday morning, locals discovered that Alexander-Arnold’s mural — celebrating his role in Liverpool’s 2019 Champions League triumph — had been defaced with white paint. Scrawled across the artwork were the words “Rat not welcome” and “Adios el rata” (“Goodbye, rat”), an unmistakable message from angry fans.
By midday, workers were already on site cleaning up the damage, but the image of the vandalised tribute had quickly spread online, reigniting debate among supporters over Alexander-Arnold’s decision to leave the club he once called home.
The mural, located on the side of a terraced house close to Anfield, features his famous quote: “I’m just a normal lad from Liverpool whose dream has just come true” — a nod to his emotional reaction after the Reds’ victory in Madrid. It was commissioned by The Anfield Rap podcast, in partnership with the charity Fans Supporting Foodbanks.
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Now, as the 27-year-old prepares to walk out onto the pitch once more — but as an opponent — the atmosphere around Anfield promises to be charged with passion, pride, and perhaps a few lingering feelings of betrayal.