Trent Alexander-Arnold has revealed his desire to stay at Liverpool for the remainder of his career as he targets one day being the club captain.
The 20-year-old has been a revelation since breaking into the Reds side in recent seasons and is now considered to be one of the finest full-backs in European football.
And in conversation with Jamie Carragher for an hour-long Sky Sports special on him, the boyhood Liverpool fan insists he is hungry to establish himself as a legend at the Anfield club.
Speaking to Carragher, Alexander-Arnold said: “I am fortunate to have the people around me who understand the balance between letting me get comfortable, praising me too much and feeding that hunger that needs to be there in terms of wanting to strive to be better, wanting to be one of the best players in the world, the best right back in the world, being the first name on the team-sheet, wanting to be Liverpool captain, wanting to be England captain.”
“That’s the main thing for me. It’s not selfishness to think this is what I have done it is about what the team has done and is doing. It is we and not I. We have achieved things as a team. To be recognised as one of the best in the world you have to have silverware behind you. That’s important to us as a team to be recognised as one of the best.”
While Liverpool missed out on winning the Premier League title by a single point — Jurgen Klopp’s side finished with 97 points the Reds did manage to end the season on a high by winning the UEFA Champions League last weekend against Tottenham.
Alexander-Arnold feels trophies are important and says this latest European Cup success can inspire the next generation much like the club’s famous win in Istanbul in 2005 inspired him.
“It is the elite competition in Europe and the best compete in it,” the full-back continued. “It shows the quality in the team to final twice in a row. Istanbul feels like yesterday and we want to create the same kind of memories for the next generation that are coming through.”
The documentary follows Alexander-Arnold in the final few weeks of the campaign as he recounts some of the big moments in the run-in with wins over Tottenham, Chelsea and Newcastle helped in part due to his immense contribution. But while the disappointment of missing out on the Premier League title clearly left a mark, the 20-year-old reveals he will forever have an affinity with the Champions League as that was the first game he saw at Anfield as a youngster.
“I remember the Juve game. That was my first game, in 2005 yeah in the quarters when (Luis) Garcia scored the volley. I remember that as my first ever Liverpool game. I was in the Main Stand. I think it was me brother, me and my mum. Since then it was Liverpool all the time. I was probably seven. For me, that being my first game that always gave me a special connection to the Champions League.”
“I had never been to a football game before and to witness what I saw that night, it was special.”
