Trent Alexander-Arnold's Real Madrid move spark debate: is it a good career choice ?

Twenty-one years after Michael Owen departed Liverpool for Real Madrid in 2004, Trent Alexander-Arnold is set to follow suit. Owen should have added "f*** 'em" since that would have been sage advise to a young man who had to make the most important decision of his life. "It will tarnish him in some eyes even though it shouldn't," Owen remarked.

Alexander-Arnold should have seriously considered the opinions of a minority before making his choice. After more than 300 games of devoted genius, he owes Liverpool supporters nothing except a hefty salary. In more than two decades, he has never been anything but loyal to Liverpool, never shirked, and never complained. Only fools would not believe that to be sufficient, and they ought to be disregarded.

Since Owen left Liverpool in 2004, the world has become both smaller and larger at the same time. Only the most cynical redheads would now pretend that Real Madrid could never have any appeal, that no team could ever match the Reds, that no stadium could ever match Anfield, and that there were no supporters like Liverpool's. 

As Owen stated in November: "Real Madrid is the ultimate goal for a football player growing up, if you ask most people what the biggest club in the world is. The stadium, the European Cups, the history, and the white uniform.

That feeling has grown over the past 20 years. Today's Generation plays FIFA as Bayer Leverkusen and then watches Vinicius Jr. videos on TikTok; today's kids wear Madrid, Barcelona, and Dortmund shirts alongside those of their parents' teams. And that was the time of Alexander-Arnold. Jude Bellingham's influence has received a lot of attention, but Real Madrid is the biggest club in the world and doesn't require cheerleaders.

And yeah, the fact that they are having a season without any hardware doesn't change anything; that isn't how the football hierarchy operates. 

There are two other things that distinguish Alexander-Arnold from Owen. One is the fact that, aside from a few domestic trophies, Owen managed to win his own Ballon d'Or, but the right-back has won almost everything with Liverpool. 

The supporters took great pleasure in serenading him with "where were you in Istanbul?" when he made it obvious that he thought Liverpool was preventing him from advancing in his career. Alexander-Arnold will not be able to enjoy Liverpool's best moments since he was present, so such arrogance will not work with him.

The fact that Owen ended his contract and made himself cheaper was a blow to Liverpool, but as was the case with Harry Kane almost two decades later, goals open doors—sometimes very expensive, gold-plated ones. Owen was a goal scorer, and if he kept scoring goals, he would always get another chance to join a super-club.

For Alexander-Arnold, the situation is quite different. Real Madrid will never pay the £100 million or more a right-back would command on a long-term contract. In actuality, he either signs with Real for nothing now or in five or six years when he will either be less expensive or free again. Even into his 30s, there are no assurances that he will remain the world's most sought-after right-back.

In reality, there wasn't a decision between Real Madrid and Liverpool, despite how it will be portrayed. And definitely not about money, even if some people will cling to that alluring idea. We all have to make this decision on multiple occasions during our lives, and it's most likely a completely human one between comfort and adventure. This time, Alexander-Arnold has opted for adventure; only a limited and perspective-challenged minority would regret his choice.