Six years ago I was sat alone in Trent Alexander-Arnold’s family living room in Woolton. The room was minimalist, I think the family might’ve just moved in. Leather sofas, TV, not much else. I think it was one of 'several' living rooms. The house had a pool too.
It was beautiful, I met Trent's mum too who was lovely and offered me a cup of tea.
I’d been invited there to interview her son, Liverpool’s exciting new star, then aged just 19. The invitation came via his boot company at the time and I was one of several journalists and media channels visiting across the course of the day. I was early.
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Suddenly, I heard someone clatter down the stairs barefoot in the hallway. The door was ajar and someone half popped their head into the room where I was sat.
“Hiya mate, nice to meet you!” they said. Before I could say a word in reply, the person was gone. I suspect this was Trent Alexander-Arnold, but it could’ve just as easily been one of his two brothers. The exchange was a polite, enthusiastic blur.
The night before, Trent had started at right-back for Liverpool in their 5-2 semi-final first-leg victory over Roma at Anfield. They would progress to that year’s final in Kyiv but lost to Real Madrid. The Roma semi-final was Trent's 36th appearance for Liverpool.
Trent in 2018 was still softly spoken, but there was a wide-eyed enthusiasm about him. I was interviewing him for a kids' football magazine and TV show at the time, so naturally the topics of conversation weren’t very hard-hitting.
He spoke about Jurgen Klopp’s tendency to 'grab' players and hug them, he spoke about watching Liverpool’s 2005 Champions League victory parade from his front garden in West Derby, he told me Taz bars were his favourite sweets. He spoke about how amazed he’d been at Mo Salah’s fitness levels when he arrived at the club the summer before.
After our interview, as we packed up, he and his brother were booting a ball around indoors, laughing and joking together like kids. Which they basically still were at the time.
Nearly six years later and I’m sat with 25-year-old Trent, interviewing him for the current issue of FourFourTwo. He looks almost exactly the same, still fresh-faced, possibly leaner. Disconcerting as the opposite is true of me.
His deamour though is extremely composed. He arrived in a medium-sized room at a secret location in Merseyside with an entourage of two, and is introduced to half a dozen strangers: our Editor, videographers, our photographer and their assistant, YouTube presenters. But he takes it all completely in his stride, obviously very used to this attention.
When the room clears for our 30-minute magazine interview he is in full business mode. Talking calmly and extremely thoughtfully. At times, taking 10-20 seconds to think before giving his response.
And the responses aren’t token. He tells me how he’d like to reach a level where he’s considered the best in the world, how he feels Liverpool winning the league this season would “mean more” to Liverpool than Manchester City because of “How both clubs have built their teams” and goes into detail about why he hasn’t played much for England under Gareth Southgate.
A proper cool customer, confident in his ability. No airs or graces, he breezed in and out of the room in exactly an hour, boxing off a magazine feature interview, photoshoot and ten-minute YouTube video.
All these off-the-field attributes, plus the amazing ability he has on it, really made me come away believing this guy could become one of the best players in the world. To say that in an interview, for everyone to see, was a big, impressive statement.
There was a steel in his eyes as he spoke about becoming Liverpool’s vice-captain. It’s a role he’s taking extremely seriously and he’s aware a pathway could open for him to become permanent captain one day. Imagine how tantalising that must be for a boyhood Liverpool fan?
Judging by how good he looks in a shell suit, it’s a role he was born for.
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