Liverpool fans once booed £5m player who Kenny Dalglish named as one of his favourites to coach

Add as preferred source on Google

Liverpool supporters’ treatment of Trent Alexander-Arnold is dominating the headlines on Monday morning.

Alexander-Arnold was exposed to the full force of Anfield’s anger during Sunday’s 2-2 draw against Arsenal.

If the right-back thought he could slink off to Real Madrid at the expiration of his contract this summer without any kind of consequence, then Liverpool fans have just shattered that illusion.

Some have not been happy with the reaction. Liverpool legend Steve Nicol has blasted supporters, for example, with plenty of others weighing in to lambast fans for the crime of feeling hurt.

There has been shock in some areas, too. Gary Neville admitted he was surprised to hear so many boos, with the Anfield crowd often seen as one of the most supportive in world football.

But although that is largely the case, it has been recalled that there was at least one other incident of a home player being booed by Liverpool fans during a game.

Lucas Leiva was booed by Liverpool fans

Opinion has been split amongst Liverpool fans as to whether it was right to boo Alexander-Arnold against Arsenal.

However, it was a louder majority who were unhappy with the No. 66 on Sunday and judging from reaction online, most are in agreement that Alexander-Arnold had it coming.

More fallout has been coming from all corners, including from The Athletic, who provide a good window into how unprecedented the wide-scale negativity was.

They claim that even Roy Hodgson – comfortably the worst Liverpool manager in the club’s long history – was never subjected to boos at Anfield. Ironic chants of ‘Hodgson for England’ are said to be the worst the veteran coach ever received.

READ MORE: Luis Diaz confirms Liverpool contract talks and declares how long he wants to stay at Anfield for

However, it is noted that this was not the first time boos have been heard for a home player. It is recalled how Brazilian midfielder Lucas Leiva was booed when playing poorly during a 0-0 draw against Fulham in November 2008. Ironically, Hodgson was in the away dugout at the time.

With Lucas struggling for form at the time, fans let him know about their displeasure. The treatment was not said to be ‘as sustained or as vitriolic’ as what Alexander-Arnold received, though.

Liverpool fans should not have booed Lucas

These two situations are not even remotely comparable. One player was booed for playing badly, the other for how he has treated the club.

In our opinion, Lucas should never have been booed by the Anfield crowd. Playing poorly is not a choice, and the former Brazil international was a young man at the time.

Happily, Lucas went on to spend another seven years with the club before being sold to Lazio for £5m in 2017. Kenny Dalglish summed the midfielder up when surprisingly declaring him as one of his favourite players to coach during all his years at Liverpool.

“Lucas by the way, Lucas was brilliant, brilliant,” Dalglish said when asked about the best players he’d managed in February 2022. “You look at what goes on in the dressing room and you need a really good dressing room to be led by really strong people in there and they’re not always the best players.”

For Lucas, there was a road back to winning the Liverpool fans onside again. In Alexander-Arnold’s case, that is unlikely to happen.