Sitting across the table from FourFourTwo, Trent Alexander-Arnold is silently, agonisingly looking for perfection. It’s six years since our last proper sit-down with him, and plenty has happened.
Back in early 2018, a teenage Trent was yet to collect his first England cap, but had officially installed himself into Liverpool’s first-team picture. It was a new status – one he was relishing, one he was desperate to hold on to and develop. Boy, has he.
During that chat in the Alexander-Arnold family home, FFT asked the young right-back where he saw himself in a few years’ time. His prediction was as accurate as one of his famous dead-ball deliveries: “Still at Liverpool – an important figure in a team that’s won a lot of silverware.”
If the first phase of his career as a Liverpool regular has been important, the second is crucial. You get the feeling he knows it. Now 25 and the Reds’ vice-captain, repeating the question ‘Where do you see yourself in a few years’ time?’ has sent Alexander-Arnold into deep, silent thought. He wants his reply to be as measured as one of his signature passes. He won’t be rushed. He’s stewing, searching for a big answer to a big question.
“Wow. Where will I be? Where will I be?” he quietly repeats to himself, before exhaling through pursed lips. FFT waits, as eager to hear his answer as we are to watch the next chapter of what has been a wondrous career.
SHANKLY, THEN TRENT
Stepping outside Liverpool Lime Street station into a blindingly bright but freezing morning, a 30ft tall image of Alexander-Arnold beams back at FFT from a giant advertising screen in crystal clear high definition.
As the poster boy of Adidas’ new marketing campaign, various shots of Trent posing and pinging footballs around in his new boots are being beamed around Liverpool and various other cities worldwide. In November, he inked one of the most lucrative contracts in Europe with the sportswear giant – everyone wants a piece of Alexander-Arnold.
Illustrating just how box office he’s become is a scene we pass on the way to the secret location where we’ve arranged to meet and snap the Reds’ star. The Bill Shankly Playing Fields were named after Liverpool’s revered title-winning boss of the 1960s and ’70s, and are a stone’s throw from the semi-detached house where he once resided in West Derby.
It’s the area where Alexander-Arnold grew up as well. Today, the council-run playing fields’ car park has been transformed into the compound for an Adidas photo and video shoot, taking place nearby, with Trent as the leading man. Winnebagos, trucks, cars, even a double-decker bus serving as a canteen for dozens of crew members, are tightly parked for an event that dominates the first part of the England international’s day. The rest of his afternoon is dedicated to FFT.
Our secret location, it turns out, isn’t very secret after all. As we arrive, a smattering of Liverpool fans, young and old, are already milling around the car park and reception area of the venue. It’s hours before their hero is scheduled to show up, but his supporters are happy to wait, just for a glimpse of him.
Later, with the room finally ready and the sun beginning to set, two large vehicles with blacked-out windows crawl into the car park. Alexander-Arnold emerges from one and calmly strolls inside to our allocated space, flanked by an entourage of two.
In 2018, the 19-year-old we interviewed had big potential and big dreams. In 2024, he has both Premier League and Champions League winner’s medals to his name, plus a ticket on England’s plane to Euro 2024 in Germany all but booked.
“Everything’s just kind of evolved,” he tells , reflecting on the passage of time since his breakthrough campaign, cogitating on whether or not there was a specific moment where
