"It's totally unjustified" - Frank Leboeuf says he received death threats and was labeled a racist for his criticism of Liverpool superstar
Former Chelsea defender Frank Leboeuf has revealed that he was labeled a racist and received death threats for his comments about Liverpool superstar Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The Englishman, 24, has established himself as one of the best right-backs in the world since his senior debut in 2016. However, Alexander-Arnold. has recently come under fire for his poor defensive displays for Liverpool.
Earlier last month, Leboeuf labeled the England international a 'Championship-level' defender during an interview with Le Journal du Dimanche.
🗣 "The slander of Trent has been uncalled for. It's pathetic"
@MicahRichards disagrees with the criticisms that Trent Alexander-Arnold has received https://t.co/y93BPIjfLI
Speaking to Fair Betting Sites (via Liverpool Echo), Leboeuf recently clarified his remarks about Alexander-Arnold. He elaborated:
"I want to go back to why I supposedly said that. First I said worse, I said 'not even Championship level'. But it's not what I actually said. I'm very upset with the English media who took half of what I said and ran with it. I said, 'Trent Alexander-Arnold, I love the guy.'"
Leboeuf asserted that he was not disrespectful to the player and added:
"I love his spirit, his mentality and what he brings offensively. Because it's only fair that if you criticize him defensively that you compliment his attacking threat. But the headline that TAA is a Championship level player is wrong, I never said that and would never be disrespectful to him like that."
The 1998 FIFA World Cup winner also claimed that his recent comments have been blown out of proportion by the media. He concluded:
"These comments I made about TAA being taken out of context have seen me labeled as a racist and I've also received death threats over social media and I hate that. It's totally unjustified because it was not a personal attack on TAA. Yes, I criticized his defensive ability, but as part of my analysis, I also praised him highly."
Alexander-Arnold has opened his 2022-23 season on a mixed note, scoring three goals in 15 games across all competitions for the Reds.
A wonderful free-kick to open the scoring in #LIVRAN 😍
Take a bow, @TrentAA 👏 https://t.co/Pxj6sd0OxB
Arrigo Sacchi includes three Liverpool stars in his 2022 FIFA World Cup team
In an interview with Gazzetta Dello Sport (via Liverpool Echo), former AC Milan and Italy manager Sacchi named three Reds defenders in his 2022 FIFA World Cup dream team.
Netherlands star Virgil van Dijk, England ace Trent Alexander-Arnold and France centre-back Ibrahima Konate were named in Sacchi's all-star lineup.
While Van Dijk is set to captain his national team in the upcoming quadrennial tournament, Konate is in line to replace the injured Raphael Varane in Les Bleus' squad.
Meanwhile, Alexander-Arnold is expected to receive an England call-up in light of Kyle Walker and Reece James' respective groin and knee injuries.
Arrigo Sacchi's XI (4-3-1-2): Thibaut Courtois; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk, Joao Cancelo; Kevin De Bruyne, Joshua Kimmich, Pedri; Lionel Messi; Kylian Mbappe, Karim Benzema.