A mural celebrating Trent Alexander-Arnold was defaced with graffiti just hours before the Real Madrid star’s contentious return to face his former club, Liverpool, at Anfield.
A mural honouring former Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold has reportedly been vandalised just hours before his highly anticipated return to Anfield with Real Madrid.
The England international left the club in controversial circumstances after his contract expired in the summer, and is now expected to face a “frosty reception” from the home crowd upon his reunion.
According to reporting from the Express, images circulated on social media show the artwork, commissioned in 2019 by The Anfield Wrap podcast, defaced with graffiti.
White paint appears to have been thrown over the painting, located on Sybid Road, in the shadow of the 61,000-capacity stadium.
The vandalism includes various derogatory references and a message scrawled in Spanish that roughly translates to: “Adios the rat.”
This marks at least the second reported incident of vandalism against the tribute in less than six months, following a previous episode where the word ‘rat’ was scrawled across it shortly before his departure.
The mural celebrates his history with the club, featuring his number 66 shirt and the quote from the night of their Champions League victory: “I’m just a normal lad from Liverpool, whose dream has just come true.”
When asked about the reception the full-back might receive, Liverpool manager Arne Slot remained cautious about predicting the crowd’s response but confirmed he would offer a “warm welcome.”
“I can only tell you what kind of reception he gets from me; I have great memories of the player and the human being,” Slot said, confirming he was Alexander-Arnold’s vice-captain last season. “How the fans [respond] I have no clue how that’s going to be but he gets a warm welcome from me, that’s for sure.”
The defender is set to face his former club for the first time since leaving the Premier League champions for La Liga.