Trent Alexander-Arnold Named ‘Perfect Attacker’ He Is Thankful He Never Played Against

These days, it’s almost impossible to recall a time when Trent Alexander-Arnold looked truly out of his depth. Sure, there was his Premier League baptism of fire against Manchester United at Old Trafford back in 2016, but from that moment on, his trajectory has been nothing but upward.

From lifting the Champions League to what now seems like an inevitable second Premier League title, the Scouser – widely regarded as the best right-back in world football – has been a driving force in Liverpool’s most successful era since the 1980s. Now, that golden run and the finer luxuries of playing in such a well-drilled team is set to continue to a new stage, as he prepares to trade Anfield for the Santiago Bernabeu, having agreed to join Real Madrid ahead of his contract expiring in June 2025.

His evolution from boy to man has certainly silenced a lot of his critics over the years and, not long ago, he was scrutinised for his lack of defensive qualities. An encounter with Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe later, and he’s settled those qualms. But there’s one winger – who he perceived as ‘perfect’ during his time on Mersyside – that he’s relieved he never had to face.

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Trent Alexander-Arnold Named Sadio Mane As ‘Perfect Attacker’

He’s the one player the right-back was grateful he never had to defend against

Sadio Mane left Liverpool in 2022 to join Bayern Munich but stayed in Germany for just a single season before moving to the Saudi Pro League in 2023, joining Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr.

And Alexander-Arnold believes there are similarities between the two players, naming his former teammate as the one player he’s relieved he didn’t have to defend against. Talking to Gary Neville on the Overlap podcast in 2024, he said (watch the full interview below):

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Sadio Mane’s Liverpool Career

He was a cornerstone in the fab three of the Jurgen Klopp era

Signing for just £34 million from Southampton in 2016, Mane was Jurgen Klopp’s first summer signing at the helm of the Reds, and while Marko Grujic, Steven Caulker, and Kamil Grabara all joined the club in that year’s January transfer window, it was the Senegalese international who really set the world in motion of a new golden era for Liverpool.

Within just weeks of his arrival, Anfield knew they had an untouchable superstar on their hands, and after Klopp then added Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah to the forward line, while stiffening up the defence with Alisson and Virgil van Dijk, the process of turning Liverpool supporters from doubters into believers became a much more straightforward task.

Forming one-third of what became known as the ‘Fab Three’ – a reference to the Beatles – Mane would finish his Liverpool career having played 269 times, scoring 120 goals, and providing 40 assists. In that time, he won six major honours, including a Champions League, Premier League, Club World Cup, and a UEFA Super Cup. His contributions to awakening a sleeping giant, therefore, will forever be immortalised as one of the greatest African footballers ever.

All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt (correct as of 28/03/2025)