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'It feels like a betrayal'

'It feels like a betrayal'

BBC News13-05-2025

Lifelong Liverpool fan Carl Duffy, 41, was at Sunday's game with his daughter in the main stand, and said both of them booed Trent Alexander-Arnold's introduction."The reason we booed comes down to a number of things, some of which in isolation would make this scenario different but combined it was always going to lead to this," Duffy explained."Trent claims to be a local lad whose dreams came true, always talking about watching the 2005 Champions League trophy coming home from his house on Queens Drive. His idol was Steven Gerrard. Everything about him screamed 'he's just the same as us'."We identified with him, he was living our dream. To us it gets no bigger than Liverpool being on top and being part of that."In our minds nothing is bigger than Liverpool, that's how it is here. It feels like a betrayal, a backstab, like everything that was said before wasn't really true, or at least not as true as was portrayed."Richard Davis, 50, was at the game against Arsenal and also condoned the booing from some supporters."Alexander-Arnold is widely known as a local lad that is a Liverpool fan," he said. "I, and most fans, can't even begin to imagine how amazing it would be to be in his place so where's the respect to 'his' club?"If you genuinely love the club, and care, why would you run your contract down for the last year or so, to make sure that the club gets absolutely nothing to replace you after they have invested for the last 20 years in turning you into the superstar that you've become?"No-one begrudges any Liverpool player wanting to change their lives and go elsewhere if they want to, but go the right way. Go with respect and some class. Be honest and straight with the club, and don't play this 'will I, won't I?' game that he's been playing with them."I am a fan, and this does mean more. Alexander-Arnold would have been a legend of the club had he stayed. He would probably been in most fans' top 10 Liverpool players of all time - but I think that legacy has all gone now and he's really tarnished how he's left so badly."Read more on the debate around the reaction to Alexander-Arnold's exit

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