Advertisement

'I moved to Spain after playing for Liverpool and Trent Alexander-Arnold has to be careful'

liam corless
·2-min read
-Credit: (Image: 2024 UEFA)
-Credit: (Image: 2024 UEFA)


Trent Alexander-Arnold has been told to prepare for intense scrutiny from the Spanish media if he makes the move to Real Madrid this summer.

Much is made of the pressure that Premier League players experience as a result of the British media, but many players and ex-players are of the opinion that the pressure at clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona is far higher than anything a player might experience in England.

One of those players is former Liverpool striker John Aldridge, who experienced life in La Liga with Spanish side Real Sociedad between 1989 and 1991, and saw up close just how much pressure the Madrid players were under.

"With Trent, he is a local lad, a Liverpool fan and people are expecting him to sign because of those facts," Aldridge said in the Liverpool Echo. "But we are talking about ridiculous amounts of money here and if he leaves for Real Madrid, it will be an obscene amount, so it is about what the lad himself really wants.

"Does he feel like he has to leave to join a bigger club? Are there any better clubs than Liverpool in world football? What I can say from my time in Spain is that Real Madrid is intense, the media interest is in your face constantly, and it is huge over there. At times it can be relentless if it is not going well.

"You're talking about football newspapers that are out everyday there, not just the sports sections at the back. Over in Spain they have AS and Marca who are virtually dedicated to Real Madrid and they have to fill the paper every day. So the media glare you are subjected to when you play for that club is unlike any other. It is a lot of pressure but you have to get on with being a top player. Like I say, it is about what the lad really wants now."

Another former Liverpool player, Michael Owen, recently recalled just how much pressure he felt when he made the decision to swap Anfield for the Bernabeu in 2004.

"It’s true that it was the ‘Holy Grail’ for a footballer," Owen said, "but it was also a place where the pressure is so intense you can hardly breathe."