Former Liverpool Academy star Connor Coady had to leave his boyhood club to make it big.
The Scouser shone on loan for Sheffield United and Huddersfield, before earning a permanent move to Wolves, for whom he now skippers.
He’s now a top Premier League defender and someone who’d do well back at Anfield in a role competing for a start at centre-back.
But Coady knows better than most how hard it is to make the breakthrough at Liverpool – and has thus emphasised the height of Trent Alexander-Arnold’s achievements.
Not only is Trent Liverpool’s starting right-back, aged 20 – but he’s just won the Champions League after making the Final a year previously, starts for his country and his arguably one of the best players in the world in his position already.
“It’s incredible,” Coady told Liverpoolfc.com. “People have to realise how tough it is to make it at such a big club like this and realise what he has actually done.
“How he has gone about his business is absolutely brilliant. You see how much he loves Liverpool Football Club, I’ve heard him talk plenty of times saying he wants to go on to be Liverpool captain, he wants to spend his career at Liverpool, this is his club – and you really believe him when he says it.
“I hope people realise how tough it is to make it at a club like this, because it is tough, and the achievement is remarkable.
“The Barcelona game, the corner, will live in every Liverpool fan’s mind for many, many years. To have that confidence to do that in front of the Kop was special.”
It’s crazy to think how good Trent might become.
He’s already a right-back with jaw-dropping delivery from the flank, and technical ability that belies his age and position – but he’s developed a consistency associated with the very best, too.
Trent always wants the ball, knows how to use it and works incredibly hard in every game, but also to make himself better.
He waltzed into the Premier League Team of the Year in 2018/19, and we think he’ll be even better this season.
With Trent on the right and Andy Robertson on the other side, Liverpool have potentially the best fullback combination on the planet.