Trent was the first to witness it firsthand, and people are noticing it immediately.
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s poignant tribute to Liverpool supporters, “Anfield mural,”
Regarding the striking self-portrait painted on a row house close to Anfield, Trent Alexander-Arnold offered a heartfelt note.
At the intersection of Sybil Street and Anfield Road, there’s a building with a three-story mural of the Liverpool right-back.
Even though it has already received media attention, Trent, 20, and his older brother Tyler were able to see it in person today.
The Liverpool FC fan podcast The Anfield Wrap organized the painting as a means to support other young people and pay tribute to an amazing season. Trent also had a message for the community’s youth and thought the painting would symbolize something significant to others.
“The main message that kids should be picking up from me and my story is that anything is possible and anything can happen – because I was once that kid in a Gerrard or Carragher shirt,” he said to the ECHO during the painting’s official unveiling.
It was these local team members that gave me the impression that everything was possible.
“The guys who said they were just regular boys in Liverpool and it’s just a cycle of being a regular boy and being able to see people living their dream and living your dream,” they said, rather than the players arriving.
I hope that’s the lesson that the youth are learning from the recent occurrences.
The younger population in the neighborhood is clearly drawn to the artwork, as evidenced by the steady stream of children wearing Trent shirts who come to the street every day to snap photos.
The artwork was painted by French graffiti artist Akse, who was also responsible for the Klopp mural in Liverpool’s Baltic Triangle. It was made possible by MGS Estates, who let the side of their building to be altered.
Trent claimed that at first he thought the concept was a “wind up,” but when he saw the enormous mural this close to the ground, he felt like pinching himself. When he realized it was true, he said, “It’s something you always dream about, but you never realize that this could happen.” At first, I thought it was a wind-up.
“I want to thank everyone who contributed to making it happen. It is something to be really proud of, and my family and I are thrilled about it.
“It’s never really predictable what will happen and that you’ll end up with something like this on the side of a skyscraper,” he continued.
Though it took me by surprise, it’s something I’ve always wanted to happen. It’s a little early, but I believe it’s fantastic to be involved in something like this.
In an effort to raise public awareness of the beneficial work that local charity Fans Supporting Foodbanks does in the community, they will also be featured in the artwork.
Trent emphasized the importance of the mural’s message by saying, “It’ll be great to see all the fans with it and perhaps garner some more support for the foodbanks—that’s the main reason it’s there at the end of the day.”
