Why Trent Alexander-Arnold KNOWS he can win the Ballon d'Or at Liverpool

Trent Alexander-Arnold says he wants to win the Ballon d'Or in his career. The consensus is that he must leave Liverpool to do that - but he knows that's not true.

Can Trent Alexander-Arnold actually win the Ballon d'Or? It's a goal he's set himself as he heads towards the prime of his career.

"I believe I can," he told Sky Sports, external. "I want to be the first full-back to ever do it.

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"It's only the morning after you retire that you're able to look in the mirror and say, 'I gave it everything I got'.

"It doesn't matter how many trophies you win, or how many medals you've got. It matters what you give to the game and if you reach your full potential."

Jamie Carragher addressed the comments on Sky Sports after Liverpool's 2-2 draw with Arsenal, saying that Alexander-Arnold may well feel he must go to Real Madrid in order to achieve that. After all, Real and Barcelona are where players go to win the Ballon d'Or.

But it's not actually true - and Alexander-Arnold knows that.

You can win the Ballon d'Or at Liverpool

The Ballon d'Or is a fascinating award because public perception has changed dramatically over the last 15 years. It's true that, statistically, you're far more likely to win the award if you play for Real Madrid or Barcelona.

But it's really just the case that your club is far more likely to win the award if it has prime Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi. Or in the latter's case, just past his prime is actually enough.

Last year, however, not a single player from those two clubs finished in the top three. In 2021, it was the same (although, Messi had joined Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona that summer). 2020 would have featured neither club if the award had gone ahead.

However, Alexander-Arnold can see things a little clearer still if he looks at his teammates. If not for the Messi era, Virgil van Dijk would have won the Ballon d'Or with Liverpool in 2019. He was literally seven votes short (the tightest vote in history) - Vincent Kompany's goal against Leicester City essentially cost him the award.

Sadio Mané came second in 2022 for his efforts with Liverpool and Senegal. The reason he lost it to Karim Benzema wasn't because Benzema played for Real Madrid - it's because Thibaut Courtois put in a miraculous performance against Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League final that year.

And in the pre-duopoly era, Liverpool twice had players in the top three despite never boasting the world's best team. Steven Gerrard finished third in 2005 and Fernando Torres third in 2008. Of course, the last English player to win the award was at Liverpool, too - Michael Owen in 2001.

Trent Alexander-Arnold can win the Ballon d'Or at Liverpool. A bit more luck would have seen at least two of his teammates do just that - and he's certainly got the talent to follow suit.

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