Trent Alexander-Arnold was a mainstay of the Liverpool side during Jurgen Klopp's tenure, winning the Premier League and Champions League
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - MAY 19: (THE SUN OUT, THE SUN ON SUNDAY OUT) Jurgen Klopp manager of Liverpool embracing Trent Alexander-Arnold of Liverpool at the end of the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Anfield on May 19, 2024 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Jurgen Klopp with Trent Alexander-Arnold in 2024(Image: Andrew Powell, Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
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During his time as Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp made it clear he envisaged Trent Alexander-Arnold leading the team as permanent captain at some stage during his career. The prediction never came true, though, with the defender heading to Real Madrid in 2025 after spending his entire career up to that point at Anfield.
Alexander-Arnold made his Reds bow under Klopp, featuring in a League Cup victory against Tottenham just weeks after turning 18. His top-flight debut followed a couple of months afterwards, and he was well-established in the first team when he completed the entire 90 minutes of the victorious 2019 Champions League final despite being just 20 years old.
Liverpool built on that continental success by ending their long wait for the Premier League crown just 12 months later. Alexander-Arnold was already an integral figure by that point, with Klopp showing this when he gave the right-back the captain's armband for a Champions League fixture against Midtjylland in December 2020.
Alexander-Arnold's influence within the squad was plain to see by that point and Klopp recognised as much. He anticipated bigger things for the right-back, who was already living the dream by playing regularly for his boyhood side.
"How you see the captaincy in this country is completely different to in Germany," Klopp said at the time. "But I try to understand it despite most of my life being educated in a different way. Being a captain, it's not important who wears the armband, it's much more important how you behave all around and yes - Trent is someone who will be involved in this kind of role in the future."
"He is now already in parts playing this role, especially with the younger boys in the team - they all have a similar pathway to his. I don't think he was the best 'leader' in the line-up of the last game, but the reason was that he has been the longest at the club.
"The players are all captains, if you want, when they are out there but the decision for this was clear and it was Trent. When I told him, you could tell that it meant a lot to him - that's cool and it will be his role in the future when other people finish their careers and he is preparing himself for that.
Trent Alexander-Arnold captaining Liverpool against Midtjylland in 2020
Alexander-Arnold captaining Liverpool against Midtjylland in 2020(Image: John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
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"He will, in the future, be the face of this club - and with some others hopefully - but that is really nice. When I realised how much it meant to him, I was really happy that I made the decision - even though the decision was a logical one due to how long he's been at the club."
Alexander-Arnold remained a key figure within the squad, with Klopp appointing him vice-captain in 2023 after Jordan Henderson departed for Al Ettifaq and Virgil van Dijk took over as skipper. When the announcement was made, Alexander-Arnold stated: "I've never been shy of saying what my ambitions are – it's always been to captain this club."
He added: "This is a pathway and a stepping stone to that. It's a role and responsibility I'm really looking forward to and I can't wait to get the season started."
However, that promotion to the captaincy never materialised, with Alexander-Arnold departing for Real Madrid in 2025. The exit came mere weeks after contributing to another championship campaign for the Reds and he could add another league title in his first season in Spain.
Back at Anfield, Van Dijk is still captain and put pen to paper on a contract extension just months before his colleague's exit was confirmed. The Reds might need to begin considering Van Dijk's eventual before long, given the Dutchman's age, but Klopp's succession plan for Alexander-Arnold won't be the answer.
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