‘It was meant to be’ – Fans convinced Alexander-Arnold was destined for Real Madrid transfer from first ever Insta post

So had did those who came before him get on?

LAURIE CUNNINGHAM (1979-1984)

Real Madrid splashed out £950,000 to sign Cunningham from West Brom in 1979.

As one of the “Three Degrees” alongside Cyrille Regis and Brendon Batson, Cunningham had left an unforgettable mark at the Hawthorns.

The left winger became an instant hit in the Spanish capital, scoring twice on his debut.

Cunningham helped his side to the LaLiga title in 1980, and played in the European Cup final against Liverpool the following year.

Following a loan spell with Manchester United, Cunningham moved to Marseille in 1984.

Having played for Leicester, Charleroi and Wimbledon, Cunningham returned to Madrid with Rayo Vallecano in 1988.

The following year he tragically died in a car crash in the city aged just 33.

STEVE MCMANAMAN (1999-2003)

Like Alexander-Arnold is set to, McManaman left boyhood club Liverpool for the bright lights of Madrid in 1999.

A silky winger, McManaman proved to be a hit in Madrid.

The Bernabeu crowd immediately took to their new English hero, with his floppy hair and nonchalant flair.

McManaman helped Real win six trophies in four years, and scored his side’s second goal in their victorious 2000 Champions League final.

He went on to leave Madrid in 2003, spending the final two years of his career with Manchester City.

After hanging up his boots, McManaman worked as a pundit for Setanta Sports, BT Sport and ESPN.

Now 53, he can regularly be seen on TNT Sports’ football coverage, especially when Liverpool or Real Madrid are playing.

DAVID BECKHAM (2003-2007)

In 2003, Real Madrid made Manchester United superstar Beckham their latest Galactico.

Golden Balls joined a squad boasting the likes of Ronaldo, Raul, Zinedine Zidane and Roberto Carlos in the Spanish capital.

Despite his love for high-end fashion and the celebrity lifestyle, Beckham became much beloved in Spain for his incredible work rate, professionalism and of course, quality.

Despite boasting a star-studded squad, the fabled La Decima – a tenth Champions League triumph – eluded Real Madrid during his four-year stint.

He didn’t leave empty-handed, however, winning the LaLiga title in 2007 before leaving for LA Galaxy.

Since Beckham hung up his boots in 2013 he has continued to have several endorsement deals; including the likes of Adidas, Armani, Pepsi and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Beckham, 49, also owns MLS side Inter Miami, and played a big role in their groundbreaking deal for Lionel Messi in 2023.

MICHAEL OWEN (2004-2005)

Like McManaman before him, Owen quit Liverpool for Real Madrid.

But the former Ballon d’Or winner endured a frustrating season at the Bernabeu, finding himself stuck behind Ronaldo and Raul.

Twelve months on from Owen’s £8million switch, Real Madrid doubled their money by flogging him to Newcastle.

Owen then spent three years with Liverpool’s rivals Man Utd, before one final year at Stoke.

Immediately after hanging up his boots, Owen signed up to be BT Sport’s primary co-commentator upon the channel’s launch.

In addition to his punditry work, the former striker has enjoyed several other ventures.

Owen, 45, has his own clothing range with Peacocks, while he also appeared on The Masked Singer.

JONATHAN WOODGATE (2004-2007)

Woodgate endured one of the most infamous debuts of all time after switching Newcastle for Real Madrid in 2004.

The luckless defender went through injury hell following the £13.4m transfer, having to wait 17 months before playing his first game.

Just 25 minutes in, the England international headed into his own net. Things then got even worse when he was sent off just after the hour mark.

Woodgate played just 14 times that season, before a loan move to Middlesbrough effectively ended his Real Madrid career.

After signing permanently for Boro, Woody earned a move to Tottenham in January 2008. He won the League Cup barely a month later, and remains the last Spurs player to score a winning goal in a cup final.

Following spells with Stoke and back at Middlesbrough, Woodgate retired in 2016.

He has since gone into coaching, managing Boro and Bournemouth.

Woodgate, 45, returned to Middlesbrough once again in 2022, where he works as a first team coach under Michael Carrick.

JUDE BELLINGHAM (2023-present)

England superstar Bellingham sealed a blockbuster £115m transfer from Borussia Dortmund to Real Madrid in the summer of 2023.

The move has been a resounding success, with the midfielder immediately excelling in Spain.

Bellingham scored on his debut, and went on net five times in his first four LaLiga matches.

The image of the 21-year-old with his arms outstretched has quickly become an iconic one.

Birmingham’s finest has already won LaLiga and the Champions League during his young career.

And with Alexander-Arnold soon to be alongside him, Bellingham will feel that he can add plenty more to his already impressive trophy tally.

TRENT ALEXANDER-ARNOLD spoke to Liverpool’s in-house club media to explain his decision to leave Anfield.

Here are the key parts…

I think first and foremost, I want to say it’s not an easy decision and there’s a lot of thought and feeling that has gone into it. I’ve been here 20 years now, loved every single minute of it, achieved all my dreams, achieved everything I’ve ever wanted to here. Giving everything day in, day out for 20 years, I’ve got to a point now where I feel like I need a change, a new challenge for me as a player and as a person. And I think now is the right time for me to do that.

Obviously there’s been a lot of noise around what the decision was going to be and how that was going to look. I know a lot of people will say I should have said sooner, a lot of people will say maybe I waited for the right time. But I felt personally the focus should always be on the pitch.

I’ve got full confidence in the manager and the staff and the club going forward. It’s not about me thinking we’re not going to fight for titles or fight for trophies season in, season out… it was never about not having confidence in that, it just boiled down to what I felt I needed, and that is a change.

Growing up, seeing players leave that I’ve loved watching and have helped the team win trophies, you feel a connection to the players that you watch, especially when they bring success to the club as well. So, I completely understand the feelings that go with that and I’ve felt it myself so I completely understand that the news will disappoint a lot of people, will anger people, it will make them upset. Obviously that went into the decision as well – it’s something you don’t want to do, you don’t want to ever have these moments where you feel like you’re letting a lot of people down, you’re disappointing a lot of people. But I’ve had to make a decision for me, it’s as simple as that. It’s a difficult one, it’s one that has played on my mind for a long time but being able now to get it off my chest will feel like a weight is lifted. And I think it’s important for the fans to know where I stand and know what the truth is.

I fell in love with the club from a very, very young age and that’s something that has grown and grown day in, day out. This club has given me the opportunities to achieve everything beyond my wildest dreams. I can never repay enough of what’s been given to me and I don’t take it for granted at all. I’ve given everything every single day for 20 years now. I’ve sacrificed everything.

I know the news will take a bit of time to set in and people won’t be happy and they’ll be disappointed. At the end of the day, you can be angry and hurt at me but I just hope that the lads, the rest of the team, the staff, everyone else is able to feel how good a season this has been and able to feel the love and support from the fans as they have done all season.

There’s no doubt about it, I’ll be back – I’d love one day to be able to bring my kids to Anfield and show them that that’s where I’ve played and show them the videos and highlights of what we were able to achieve together. So just a huge thank you for that, thank you for everything you’ve ever done for me. Thank you for the support, thank you for the love that I’ve always felt, thank you for always having my back. I will always love the club, I will always love the people of the club, I will always love the fans and the supporters. Even though I’m leaving as player, as a fan I’ll always be a Liverpool fan.