Legendary Brazilian right-back Cafu has warned Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold he should not take the early success in his career for granted.
Alexander-Arnold at just 20 years old has already featured in a Champions League final, as well as locking up a starting berth under Jurgen Klopp.
Tottenham’s Kieran Trippier took the starting role over Alexander-Arnold for England at the World Cup, but Cafu, who won two World Cups with Brazil, the Champions League and Copa Libertadores in a glittering career, believes there is more to come.
“To play for the England national team, you have to be very good and to play at Liverpool, you have to be very, very good,” Cafu said in his role as an academy member for Laureus.
“But it takes time to mature and be consistent.Inside Liverpool’s Marbella training camp
“Yes, he is very talented. For his position, I would advise him to work hard, do a lot of training, but above all show a lot of commitment to what he does.
“Never think that he is good enough. Don’t get complacent or big-headed. Work more and more.
“When I was the same age, I was playing for Sao Paulo in the main team. I was a father, so I had a lot of responsibility.
“Twenty years old is a good age to make a decision if he wants to be a football player or a ‘professional’ football player with a long, respected career.”
The Laureus World Sports Awards celebrate the most remarkable men and women from the world of sport along with their achievements from the previous calendar year. The Awards also showcase the work of Laureus Sport for Good, a charity which uses the power of sport to end violence, discrimination and disadvantage.
