In the shadow of Anfield, Liverpool’s famous stadium, a woman traces her fingers across what was once a blank wall on Sybil Road. The faded brown brick has been transformed into a 26ft homage to a reference point for the community, and she is clearly stirred by the artwork, taking time to appreciate it from every angle.
It is a late July afternoon in 2019 and everything is quiet, which only serves to amplify her pride as she snaps a series of selfies. But this is not just any mural; this is not just any woman and this is not just any story.
The painting salutes Mr Trent Alexander-Arnold, a Liverpool player since the age of six, for winning the Champions League a month earlier and for his contributions to Fans Supporting Foodbanks. The woman is his mother, Ms Dianne Alexander; a pivotal force in his development into one of the finest young footballers in the world and, more importantly, a fine young man.
“I’m just a normal lad from Liverpool, whose dream has just come true,” reads the inscription on the mural.
The words have always been framed in a professional context: a Scouser securing club football’s supreme prize as a key member of his boyhood team. During a wide-ranging interview with MR PORTER, however, the 21-year-old England international reveals its true meaning for the first time.
The mural is not only a portrait of the greatest night of life and a nod to his social work, it also offers a panoramic depiction of who he is.
