This time next week, two sons of Merseyside could be about to go head-to-head in the biggest club fixture in world football.
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Anthony Gordon were born barely a couple of miles apart, in West Derby and Norris Green respectively, and both joined Liverpool’s academy when they were in primary school.
Of course, Gordon was released by the Reds and ended up coming through at Everton, with the pair facing each other in a Merseyside Derby for the first time in June 2020. They are now on opposite sides of another rivalry, but as Alexander-Arnold’s Real Madrid prepare to face Gordon’s Barcelona in El Clasico, their careers are on different trajectories.
Why this is a huge season for Anthony Gordon and Trent Alexander-Arnold - but for different reasons
Next Sunday’s meeting between Barcelona and Real Madrid happens to fall on the 10-year anniversary of Alexander-Arnold’s Liverpool debut, which came against Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup fourth round in October 2016.
He scored his first Reds goal on his Champions League bow 10 months later, curling home a classy free-kick against Hoffenheim that served notice of his outstanding dead-ball ability.
Alexander-Arnold was picked for England’s 2018 World Cup squad when he was just 19 and became a key figure in Jurgen Klopp’s great Liverpool sides, redefining the right-back role with his vision, passing range and technical ability.
As well as winning six major trophies at Anfield, the defender posted some incredible individual numbers, including claiming double figures for assists across all competitions in all but one season between 2018/19 and 2023/24.
When Alexander-Arnold left his boyhood club for Madrid in summer 2025 - a decision that saw him booed by sections of the Liverpool fanbase during a draw with Arsenal - he was expected to thrive at arguably the biggest club on the planet. But it hasn’t worked out that way.
The England international’s debut season was hampered by injuries, as separate hamstring and thigh issues ruled him out for a total of four months. When he was fit, he struggled to make his mark in an underachieving side that ended the campaign trophyless, not helped by the change of manager from Xabi Alonso to Alvaro Arbeloa in January.
Alexander-Arnold failed to make England’s World Cup 2026 squad and he has been similarly overlooked in two of Madrid’s biggest games this season. He was an unused substitute in last month’s derby defeat by Atletico Madrid in La Liga and Wednesday’s victory over Roma in the Champions League, with head coach Jose Mourinho selecting summer signing Denzel Dumfries instead.
It means there is no guarantee Alexander-Arnold gets on the pitch at the Nou Camp next Sunday, when he could be up against Barcelona left-winger Gordon. In contrast, the former Everton man looks increasingly likely to start after beginning the season in promising form.
Despite starring for Newcastle United in a three-and-a-half year spell after leaving the Toffees in January 2023, eyebrows were raised over the £69.3m fee Barcelona paid for Gordon earlier this summer.
The 25-year-old has responded with an excellent few months individually, starting five of England’s World Cup games and scoring in the semi-final defeat by Argentina. He claimed two assists off the bench on his Barcelona debut, against Elche, and notched his first goals for the club in the wins over Getafe and Galatasaray in the past eight days.
Gordon has become a regular starter for European football’s form team and has risen to the challenge of playing alongside the likes of Lamine Yamal and Rodri every week. Ultimately, he has already kicked on following his move to one of Spain’s superclubs, whereas Alexander-Arnold’s career has stalled.
This is also evident in their international prospects. While Gareth Southgate failed to get the best out of Alexander-Arnold when he was England manager, he did at least continue to select him. Thomas Tuchel has largely ignored the right-back completely.
The defender was recalled for the first time since his Madrid debut for the recent batch of Nations League fixtures, although even that was hardly a ringing endorsement from Tuchel. It is unlikely he would have made the cut if Reece James or Tino Livramento had been fit, while Jarell Quansah started the Three Lions’ biggest game of the international window, against Spain.
Essentially, Alexander-Arnold is further down the pecking order with England now than when he was at Liverpool, which seems crazy for a player of his ability and age, having just turned 28.
The ex-Red did start both matches against Czechia and provided the assist for Gordon’s opener in Prague, one of three goals in as many games scored by the winger in the international window. Gordon appears to have more of a swagger now he is a Barcelona player and looks a certain starter for England when fit.
It is already shaping up to be a hugely important season for both players, but for different reasons. Gordon has made an excellent start to his Barca career and if he maintains that level over a whole campaign, he will establish himself as one of the best wingers in world football.
Meanwhile, Alexander-Arnold is at a crossroads. He certainly has the talent to turn his Madrid career around, but another inconsistent season would amplify the nagging doubts that his move to the Spanish capital may have been a mistake.
His inability to nail down a place with England was arguably a red flag ahead of joining Madrid, who tend to appoint head coaches that take an approach to management often seen in international football. Just look at Carlo Ancelotti and Zinedine Zidane, who would trust the club’s superstars to win them games, rather than leaning on complex tactical plans.
Alexander-Arnold may even have been better suited to Barca, where he could now be linking up with Gordon in the same way that they did for England against Czechia. Instead, they will be El Clasico foes next Sunday - and that night at the Nou Camp will offer a clue as to what is in store for both players, this season and beyond.
