Trent Alexander-Arnold sat down, took a deep breath and uttered the words many Liverpool knew would be coming.

“After 20 years at Liverpool Football Club,” he said into a camera, “I will be leaving at the end of the season.”

Alexander-Arnold didn’t mention his next destination when confirming his imminent departure from Liverpool on his social media accounts but the England right back is widely expected to move to Real Madrid on a free transfer.

The locally born Alexander-Arnold, who joined Liverpool at the age of 6 and has won every major honor with the club, said it was “easily the hardest decision I’ve ever made in my life.”

He has announced it barely a week after clinching a second Premier League title with the Reds, pushing them onto 20 English top-flight championships – tied for the record with Manchester United.

“This club has been my whole life – my whole world – for 20 years,” the 26-year-old Alexander-Arnold wrote. “From the academy right through until now, the support and love I have felt from everyone inside and outside of the club will stay with me forever. I will forever be in debt to you all.

“But, I have never known anything else and this decision is about experiencing a new challenge, taking myself out of my comfort zone and pushing myself both professionally and personally. I’ve given my all every single day I’ve been at this club, and I hope you feel like I’ve given back to you during my time here.”