Jude Bellingham gives thoughtful response to Liverpool fans' hostile treatment of Trent Alexander-Arnold after Real Madrid team-mate subjected to boos on Anfield return

The boos rang out around Anfield when former Liverpool defender Alexander-Arnold entered the pitch at Anfield, replacing Arda Guler in the 82nd minute of Real's 1-0 defeat. This was the first time that the English full-back had played a game at Anfield since appearing for the Reds in their final game of the 2024-25 campaign against Crystal Palace. 

Alexander-Arnold chose to leave at the end of his Liverpool contract, although Madrid ended up paying a €10 million (£8m/$11m) fee to release him early so he could feature for Los Blancos at the Club World Cup. Ahead of Tuesday's European clash, the Englishman was labelled a "rat" and his famous Liverpool mural was vandalised.

Alexander-Arnold's Madrid and England team-mate Bellingham addressed the hostile reception from the home crowd on Amazon Prime: "Obviously, it is one of those things in football. The fans booing isn't a reflection of how they feel about him. I think it is more to give their team the edge and throw him off a little bit. I am sure they're appreciative of what he has done for the club. It is one of those things."

The night turned out to be a disappointing one for Bellingham and Co as Alexis Mac Allister's 61st-minute strike sealed all three points for the hosts, but the English midfielder did make European history as he eclipsed Lionel Messi and Madrid colleague Kylian Mbappe. At just 22 years and 128 days old, the former Birmingham City prodigy smashed Los Blancos icon Iker Casillas’s long-standing record as the youngest player in history to reach 50 appearances in Europe’s elite club competition.

Since moving from Dortmund to Madrid in the summer of 2023, Bellingham has lived up to, and arguably exceeded, the astronomical expectations placed upon him. He marked his arrival at the Spanish capital with goals in his first four Champions League games, establishing himself as the heartbeat of a side that would win the competition under Carlo Ancelotti in the 2023-24 campaign. That early streak made him only the fourth Real Madrid player in the 21st century to score on both his La Liga and Champions League debuts, joining the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Isco, and Marco Asensio. Bellingham’s record-breaking spree doesn’t stop there.

Alexander-Arnold has endured a far tougher start to life in Madrid, however. The Liverpool academy graduate has only started three games for Xabi Alonso's side to date, and played second fiddle to Dani Carvajal at the start of the campaign. A hamstring problem also set Alexander-Arnold back, but he is set for a run in the team now as Carvajal has been sidelined until the new year with a serious knee injury. The 27-year-old will hope to start at right-back when Los Blancos take in a trip to Rayo Vallecano on Sunday.