Trent John Alexander-Arnold (born 7 October 1998) is an English professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Premier League club Liverpool and the England national team. Considered one of the best full-backs in the world, he is known for his range of passing, crossing and assists.
Parents and family
Arnold was born to Michael Arnold and Dianna Arnold. His parents are Zimbabweans. His father was a CFO who formerly ran at Pots but currently handles the undertakings of Trent’s business.
Alexander-Arnold is the nephew of former Reading and Millwall footballer, and former Manchester United club secretary, John Alexander. His maternal grandmother, Doreen Carling, was once also in a relationship with former United manager, Alex Ferguson, before moving to New York City where she later married. Alexander-Arnold was thus eligible to play for the United States prior to making his England debut. He has two brothers; Tyler, who is four years his senior and acts as his agent, and Marcel, who is three years younger.
Family background
His father Michael is a businessman who once traded in commodities but now manages Trent’s business affairs. It appears he was born in 1961 in Liverpool.
Findmypast believes that Trent’s mother Dianne was born in 1966, although there was no obvious birth record for her in the publicly available birth indexes for England.
Another thing you read about Trent online is that, according to FIFA rules, he was eligible to play for the United States national team. This means that one of his parents or grandparents must have been born in the US. So perhaps Dianne was born in the USA. This is in keeping with Sir Alex Ferguson’s autobiography, in which he writes that his first serious girlfriend Doreen Carling, who he dated in the late 1950s in the Glasgow suburb of Cardonald, emigrated to New York and married there. If so, this suggests that Doreen must have married a Mr Alexander in NYC in, say, the early 1960s and Trent’s mother Dianne was her daughter and was born there. In family history terms, these are modern-era events, making supporting evidence tricky to come by in online sources.
Next, Findmypast tried a different approach. If John Alexander is the maternal uncle of Trent Alexander-Arnold, that would mean that he is a brother of Trent’s mother Dianne. Findmypast’s research indicates that John was born in 1955 in Liverpool, the first child of parents Eric Edward Alexander and Moira Alexander née Kelly – and they were born in 1932 and 1935 respectively in Liverpool. If Findmypast is right, this means that John Alexander cannot be a maternal uncle to Trent – perhaps he is a great uncle instead? If he were a great uncle, that would mean that he was a brother of Trent’s maternal grandmother the Mr Alexander (forename not known) who, as above, Findmypast surmised may have married Sir Alex Ferguson’s ex-girlfriend in the States. Yet, Findmypast could not trace such a brother. So perhaps the family relationship is even more complex.
What we can say with confidence about Trent Alexander-Arnold’s family history is that he has a diverse background, the result of the movement of people internationally. Like his father, he was born in Liverpool, a port city with a deep-rooted Black history. His paternal grandfather was probably an immigrant ancestor who came from somewhere within the Commonwealth. His mother may have been born in New York. His maternal grandmother may have been born in Scotland to, as Sir Alex Ferguson writes in his autobiography, an Irish Catholic mother, and emigrated to the States.
Whatever his background, Trent delights Liverpool and England football fans with his talent on the pitch. And, like other young men from similar backgrounds who have found success on the pitch, he hasn’t forgotten where he comes from. Trent regularly supports his local charity An Hour for Others and he will undoubtedly continue to contribute to local and national life as his career develops.
Alexander-Arnold has two brothers, Tyler and Marcel played a huge role in his development as a professional career.
He is also an avid chess player, having been introduced to the game by his father as a youngster, and in 2018 he played an invitational match against world champion Magnus Carlsen. The match, which was played as part of a campaign to promote the sport, ended in defeat for Alexander-Arnold after seventeen moves; eight more than technology entrepreneur Bill Gates managed when he faced Carlsen in 2014. Alexander-Arnold later explained how chess was more than just a pastime and had helped him in his football career by teaching him to think “two or three moves ahead of the opposition”.
Wife and Children
Trent Alexander-Arnold is currently in a relationship with his girlfriend Hannah Atkins.
Hannah Atkins keeps her personal life under wraps, even opting for a private account on Instagram.
Alexander-Arnold is also yet to confirm that they are dating, choosing to focus on football when using social media.
However, the pair were pictured together in Ibiza this summer (2022), enjoying a romantic getaway.
They were also spotted having lunch last year (2021) in Cheshire, following an injury to the Liverpool star that kept him out of Gareth the squad for the Euros.
It is tough to put a timeline on the couple’s relationship. However, they have been snapped together since 2020.
Alexander-Arnold was also rumoured to be dating Dua Lipa last year.
However, he soon quashed the story, labelling it the ‘strangest gossip’ he has ever heard about himself on a podcast with fellow Liverpool full-back, Andy Robertson.
Trent-Alexander Arnold has no children, unlike team-mates Declan Rice and Phil Foden.
With no wedding plans on the horizon yet, the Liverpool star looks to be focusing on his football.
And when he’s not playing, he has Hannah Atkins to keep him company.
Trent Alexander-Arnold is at the moment not yet married.
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