Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk chose not to comment on Trent Alexander-Arnold following the Reds’ 1-0 Champions League victory against Real Madrid at Anfield. Alexis Mac Allister’s second-half header secured the win, leaving Alexander-Arnold and his Real Madrid side on the losing end.
It was Alexander-Arnold’s first return to Anfield since his summer transfer to the Spanish capital. Much of the pre-match attention focused on how Liverpool fans would react to his comeback. The response was unmistakable: the 27-year-old was booed loudly when warming up on the bench and again when he entered the pitch in the second half, though he struggled to make an impact as Real Madrid suffered their first European defeat of the season.
While some former teammates, including Dominik Szoboszlai, welcomed Alexander-Arnold warmly before the match, van Dijk was far less forthcoming. Asked on Amazon Prime Video by former Arsenal star Theo Walcott if he had spoken to Alexander-Arnold, van Dijk simply replied, “No.”
Liverpool manager Arne Slot offered a more measured take on the atmosphere surrounding the former vice-captain’s return. Speaking at his post-match press conference, Slot praised the energy of the crowd throughout the match, saying, “I was impressed by the atmosphere throughout the whole 90 minutes, even before the game.”
Alexander-Arnold’s Anfield homecoming reflected the mixed emotions surrounding his departure, highlighting the intensity of Liverpool’s fanbase when it comes to former club legends
