The former Liverpool teammate who did not make Team of the Season in 2019 which Trent Alexander-Arnold found 'strange'
03/28/2025 05:00 PM
The 2018/19 season was arguably the greatest campaign during Jurgen Klopp’s reign at Liverpool.
That season saw the Reds play some of the best football the Merseyside club had seen in years and it was evident in the success they were having.
Liverpool would win their sixth Champions League crown that season beating Tottenham in the final in Madrid, while falling just short in the Premier League to Man City. That was a cruel blow to fans of the Merseyside outfit as Klopp’s team amassed an incredible total of 97 points.
As a result, Liverpool players littered the nominations for individual rewards, but only one star missed out on EA SPORTS’ Team of the Year, which Trent Alexander-Arnold found ‘strange’.
Trent Alexander-Arnold shocked by Joel Matip admission
Joel Matip arguably had his best season in a Liverpool shirt during the 2018/19 campaign, with the centre-back putting in an impressive display during the Champions League final.
Therefore, it was a surprise to many when the defender was the only Liverpool star left out of EA Sports’ Team of the Year.
When asked by Soccer AM what players were unlucky not to make that team, Alexander-Arnold replied: “All of them. It’s a team sport, and to do the things that we’ve done, it takes more than just the eleven people that start, it takes a full squad.
“I don’t think Joel (Matip) got nominated, which is a bit strange, because he proved that he was one of the best center-backs in the league, if not the world over the course of last season.
“Yeah, I think, to do the things that we’ve done, we’ve had to work so hard and put the time in. So I’d say it was disappointing not to see the whole team in it.”
The centre-back was a loved figure at Liverpool, evident in how Virgil van Dijk responded to Matip’s retirement last year.
Many view the centre-back as the best free transfer Liverpool have ever made, although there is an argument for another.
The best player Liverpool have signed for free
There are not many players in the history of Liverpool who have been signed on a free transfer, which is why Matip is in the conversation for the best the Reds have ever made, although the centre-back was a quality player.
He only spent two years at Anfield, but Gary McAllister’s name would be one Liverpool fans may put forward for that title, but the real challenger to Matip’s claim is James Milner.
Virgil van Dijk once described Milner as ‘outstanding’ as the midfielder would do everything Klopp asked of him. The Englishman was a leader, gave everything he had every time he stepped on the pitch, and could play in multiple positions, which is always a big help to a manager.
When it comes to the best player Liverpool have ever signed on a free, it has to be Milner. The 39-year-old has had an amazing career in the Premier League and a large chunk of those years he gave to the Merseyside club.
