Trent Alexander-Arnold set for hostile Liverpool return with Real Madrid - but which other former players faced wrath of the Kop?

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Trent Alexander-Arnold faces a mixed reception as Real Madrid travel to Anfield in the UEFA Champions League, but he won’t be the first former Red to experience the thunder of the Kop after switching clubs. The Liverpool academy graduate only departed Liverpool last summer, and Arne Slot has said he will be giving his former player a warm welcome that is unlikely to be reciprocated by home fans.

‘He will get a warm welcome from me’ – Slot on return of Alexander-Arnold to Anfield

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Trent Alexander-Arnold is preparing for a hostile return as Real Madrid visit Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League - but the full-back will not be the first former Red to feel the full force of a febrile Anfield atmosphere after crossing enemy lines.

The Liverpool academy graduate opted not to renew his contract, leaving in the summer. When his intentions became public, fans booed him during a substitute appearance against Arsenal in May.

Liverpool would eventually receive £8.4 million from Madrid to effectively buy out the final four weeks of his contract ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup - little consolation for supporters dismayed by the way he handled his departure.

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Those sentiments are likely to be amplified on Tuesday evening, regardless of whether he starts, having missed the last two matches while recovering from a hamstring injury sustained against Marseille in mid-September.

On Monday, Alexander-Arnold paid tribute to former team-mate Diogo Jota, standing alongside manager Xabi Alonso outside Anfield on Monday to lay a wreath at a memorial for the late forward.

It placed into perspective the widespread anger surrounding his departure after a 20-year tenure, but he is far from alone in leaving under acrimonious circumstances before returning to face the music.

McCoist predicts 'mixed' reception for Alexander-Arnold in Liverpool Champions League return

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Raheem Sterling

Sterling reportedly rejected a £100,000-a-week contract extension at Anfield, joining Manchester City for £49 million in 2015. Like Alexander-Arnold’s move to Madrid, it was a drawn-out saga that left Liverpool fans frustrated.

On his first return in March 2016, Sterling was substituted at half-time after a poor first half, with every touch jeered by the Kop as City lost 3-0.

Across nine Anfield return appearances, Sterling scored only once, during the 2020/21 season played behind closed doors.

He would, though, go on to win 11 trophies and score over 130 goals, vindicating his decision to work under Manuel Pellegrini and then far more successfully under Pep Guardiola at City.

Fernando Torres

Before Sterling, there was Torres, who angered fans when he joined Chelsea in January 2011 for £50 million after submitting a transfer request.

On his first return in May 2012, the Spanish striker was roundly booed as Liverpool avenged their FA Cup final defeat with a 4-1 league win.

He would later be booked in a 2-2 draw and came off the bench in Chelsea’s 2-0 win at Anfield in April 2014, a result that helped swing the title in Manchester City’s favour.

Alexander-Arnold pleased with Liverpool send-off, ‘proud’ to have joined 'idol' Alonso at Real

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Michael Owen

Owen ran down his contract at Liverpool, forcing the club to accept a modest £8 million from Real Madrid in August 2004, part of a deal that saw Antonio Nunez move the other way.

His one season at the Bernabeu was followed by stints at Newcastle United and Manchester United.

On returning to Anfield, he said: "When I go back to Anfield and one or two people booed me, it was like a dagger in my heart for what I did for the club and how I felt about it. And how I still feel."

Luis Suarez

Six months after committing his future to Liverpool in 2014, Suarez joined Barcelona. He returned to Anfield in the 2018/19 Champions League semi-final, in which Liverpool overturned a three-goal deficit from the first leg.

Suarez, who celebrated scoring in the Camp Nou leg, was jeered every time he touched the ball.

He would face Liverpool again at Anfield with Atletico Madrid, losing 2-0 in November 2021 - VAR ruling out a goal to the delight of Reds fans.

Nicolas Anelka

The last Manchester City win at Anfield in front of fans came in May 2003, when Anelka scored twice in a 2-1 victory - a match that also marked Robbie Fowler’s first of three appearances back at his old ground as an opponent.

Anelka’s brace came during the first of nine returns to Anfield with City, Bolton Wanderers, Chelsea, and West Bromwich Albion, though he didn't score thereafter and often ended up on the losing side.

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Philippe Coutinho

Coutinho was part of the same Barcelona side as Suarez that crumbled in the 2018/19 Champions League semi-final, earning a zero rating from Spanish newspaper Sport for an "invisible" performance.

The Brazilian, whose £142 million sale remains one of the most expensive transfers of all time, was substituted after an hour and has not had the chance to make amends, featuring in home games only during his subsequent spell at Aston Villa.

Christian Benteke

Benteke found success against his former club. In April 2017, the Belgian scored both goals as Crystal Palace dented Liverpool’s top-four hopes.

Benteke scored just four goals at Anfield while a Red - one fewer than he managed against them as an opponent - turning his disappointment into motivation.

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One more former hero set for warmer welcome

Unlike the men in this list, Madrid head coach Xabi Alonso can expect a happier reception.

Curiously, he never returned to Anfield as a player after leaving the club to join Los Blancos in 2009, neither during that five-year spell or later at Bayern Munich.

But, he has now been in the opposition dug-out in consecutive seasons having overseen Bayer Leverkusen's 4-0 defeat almost a year to the day in November 2024.

Alonso had been tipped to replace Jurgen Klopp as manager the previous summer before committing his future to the Bundesliga club - but he will anticipate another warm reception from the Kop having formed part of the club's 2004/05 Champions League-winning team.

‘He could do a bit more’ - Slot reveals frank conversation with Alexander-Arnold

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"He has to have his own feelings and enjoy it his own way, so I am not going to say how he needs to feel," Alonso has said on the eve of Alexander-Arnold's awkward reunion.

Alexander-Arnold can expect a hostile greeting, if indeed he is to feature back at the place he once called home.

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