Liverpool Star Working On Becoming Like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo

Liverpool standout Trent Alexander-Arnold has high hopes of becoming a star in his own name while also trying to follow the footsteps of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

At 22 years of age, Alexander-Arnold still has a long way to go in his career. But just like any other top prospect in the sport, the Reds defender looks up to two of the greatest players to ever grace the pitch–Messi and Ronaldo.

In a recent exclusive interview with Goal, Alexander-Arnold heaped praise on the multi-Ballon d’Or winners.

Unsurprisingly, the youngster is dazzled by Messi and Ronaldo in terms of overall attributes. But what struck him the most is the pair’s mentality to always become better.

“For every athlete, every footballer, the mentality has to be to try and improve,” Alexander-Arnold explained. “If you look at the two best that I’ve seen, and probably will ever see, it’s [Cristiano] Ronaldo and [Lionel] Messi, and they have always wanted to improve, to achieve things individually and as a team.”

“Messi’s won six Ballons d’Or and Ronaldo’s won five, but they’ve never settled and rested,” he continued. “They’ve never thought that they’ve done enough. They have that hunger and desire and determination 24/7, every day of the year. They never switch off.”

More importantly, Alexander-Arnold is well aware that he should emulate the said traits of Messi and Ronaldo.

“For me, that’s the example I need to be following,” he added. “If they’re still doing it at their age and to the level they are doing it, then that’s something I want to try and reach, those levels of consistency.”

After four seasons with Liverpool’s first team, Alexander-Arnold has proven to Jurgen Klopp that he’s one of the most reliable defenders in the squad.

Over time, the Englishman has developed his game under the tutelage of one of the best minds in football.

"He came in with a super basis as a player and person, and used it to make big development steps,” Klopp recently said of Alexander-Arnold. "When you see pictures from his first game, the boy who came in compared to the man now, even though he's a young man, the difference couldn't be bigger."

Like some of his promising youngsters, Klopp is also confident Alexander-Arnold could still become a much better athlete.

"When you look at his age, there is a lot of space for improvement and he will use that," he quipped.