The world is more of a nuanced shade of grey, though, and the story of Trent Alexander-Arnold’s departure from Liverpool is far from being binary. He is, in his own words, “a normal lad from Liverpool, whose dream came true."
That’s part of the problem, though.
Trent is a product of Liverpool's academy, joining the Anfield outfit at just six years old. After capitalising on a lengthy Nathaniel Clyne injury, both he and Liverpool have never looked back on a journey that has been mutually beneficial.
Nine major trophies later, he is looking for a new challenge. Most would thank a player for their contributions and move on, but Trent is a Scouser.
Without getting too deep into the politics of it all, the city of Liverpool and its Scouse population have had it all thrown their way. From being the butt of outdated jokes about living standards, to the more serious false allegations thrown at them in the wake of horrifying tragedies. Some sections of the British population would love nothing more than to erase the city off the map.
Living under these conditions breeds a very insular ‘us against the world’ mentality that can be hard for others to truly appreciate. “Don’t you mind us, we’ll look after our own and do just fine without you.” You would struggle to find a community quite like it anywhere else in modern-day Britain, where nobody knows their neighbour anymore and a social evening at the pub has been replaced with a Netflix binge-watch.
Full disclosure: I am not a Scouser and don't claim to be the voice of Liverpool. That said, I've witnessed the Scouse 'battle-siege' exterior and soft and welcoming interior first-hand. My love affair with the city has grown over the years and, to this day, I feel more aligned with Liverpool and Scousers than anywhere else I've ever called home.
Liverpool have successfully developed a young Scouse lad, who lived, breathed, supported and adored the club, into an €80m-rated superstar. With Trent running down his contract, the club now has a giant hole that needs filling without the transfer budget you would usually get from a departing player.
Make no mistake, the club are also to blame for the situation they have found themselves in - having ended up in a mix of director-of-football turmoil over the last five years. Those unlucky enough to fill in the hot seat have had more pressing things to attend to, including - but not limited to - finding a new defensive midfielder, replacing the club’s most successful manager in the Premier League era in Jurgen Klopp and locking down the contract of Mohamed Salah, the Premier League’s Golden Boot winner.
The Trent situation was left by the wayside for too long, and all parties just seemed to shrug and accept it rather than push for a resolution. Was that the plan all along, though? Real Madrid have made little attempt to hide that their transfer policy is to sweet-talk players into joining them as free agents for mega wages and the chance to win silverware. You only have to look at how Kylian Mbappe eventually joined the Spanish giants to see the success of this strategy.
According to reports from club insiders, Trent’s representatives had been given extension offers from Liverpool - but these weren’t accepted. Some may say that employees have no obligation to their employer outside the terms of their contract, and ordinarily, they would be right.
When you’re a boyhood fan of a club with a fanbase who look out for their own, things are different. If Trent was as big of a Liverpool fan as he so often claims to be, he would surely want them to reinvest as effectively as possible to find his replacement. It’s impossible to do that with a ‘resale’ budget of zilch.
One might look to the example of his (soon-to-be ex) teammate Alexis Mac Allister, who successfully renegotiated his Brighton contract with a €42m release clause just months before his Anfield move. This was reportedly seen as a gentleman’s agreement between his representatives and the Seagulls to help facilitate a move to Liverpool.
The Reds would get a World Cup-winning player at a knock-down rate, the player would avoid drama spilling into the changing room, and Brighton would get quadruple their initial €8m investment in return. Everyone wins. There is no reason why a similar arrangement could not have been agreed, in theory, between Liverpool and Real Madrid last summer.
Nobody was holding a metaphorical gun to Trent’s head to sign a new deal, nor should they have. If he had accepted a new deal, though, the chance to play for Real Madrid and alongside friend Jude Bellingham would have been effectively over.
Trent was already in an environment where he was set up for success. Besides the weather and culture, there’s not much more that Madrid could offer Trent over Liverpool’s previous offerings. Now, his departure will leave an €80m void in their squad. No disrespect to Conor Bradley, I love his recent development and he has bags of potential, but he is not a €80m player (yet, at least).
I don’t think many Scousers would begrudge Trent for leaving if his exit was done in a manner that benefited the club and, by proxy, its city.
To say he loves the club... his actions have actively damaged it to the benefit of a club he called a "rival" (because of the two clubs' meetings in Europe) back in December of last year.
Trent had the potential to be talked about in the same breath as Steven Gerrard by Liverpool fans now and in the future. Instead, even with respect to his incredible achievements with the club, he’ll be viewed in a similar way to Steve McManaman.