says the only player to ever ‘destroy’ him on a football pitch is Brandon Barker, a 27-year-old who is currently without a club.
Barker came through the youth ranks at , making one appearance for his childhood club in an contest in 2016 but never turning out in the .
The winger had loan spells at the likes of Preston, Hibs and NAC Breda from City before leaving for Rangers on a permanent move in 2019.
Since then he has played for Reading and Omonia but is now without a club after being released by the Cypriot side.
However, he certainly made an impression on a young Alexander-Arnold when Manchester City Under-21s beat Liverpool U-21s and Barker got the better of the future England international.
‘I would say Brandon Barker, played for [Manchester] City,’ Alexander-Arnold told Liverpool’s YouTube channel when asked the the best player he has faced who never reached the top of the game.
‘I was 18, playing for the Under-21s, first ever time at Anfield, got beat 3-0. He scored two and got an assist. I came off at 60 [minutes].
‘Still to this day, he’s the opponent I think that just destroyed me, man. I’ve never had it like that before.
‘At that point, I’m thinking “this kid is going to be the best player in the world”. Because I’d never seen someone move so quickly and sharp and effectively, so I’d say Brandon Barker.’
It is not the first time Barker has received fantastic praise, with former Rangers midfielder Andy Halliday saying the winger is the best player he has ever seen in training/
‘Brandon Barker. One of the best trainers I have ever seen,’ Halliday told . ‘I know for a fact if you ask anyone who has played with him at any club – whether it’s Hibs or Preston – they’d all say the same thing.
‘Josh Ginelly when he came to Hearts, had played with him at Preston, and he said the exact same thing. He said: “Brandon Barker was the best I’ve ever seen in training”.
‘He was at Man City when he was younger and apparently he was the one coming through at Man City at that time.
‘Honestly, in training he would get the ball off the goalie, dribble by the full team and score.
‘I’m not saying people thought Brandon Barker was s**** but fans would say he’s not good enough but in training…’
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