Liverpool fans can jeer Trent Alexander-Arnold if they wish - but Eric Dier's classy Bayern send-off was so special, writes OLIVER HOLT

The time earlier Trent Alexander-Arnold, 1 of the top Liverpool players of modern times, was booed by thousands of the club's fans astatine Anfield, greeted with vitriol and treated with contempt, different England defender was fixed a precise antithetic benignant of farewell successful the Allianz Arena earlier Bayern Munich's lucifer with Borussia Monchengladbach.

Eric Dier has made 47 appearances for Bayern successful the 18 months helium has been astatine the nine since leaving Spurs. He provided a important publication to the team, helping to wrest backmost the Bundesliga rubric from Bayer Leverkusen this season, and performed with the benignant of understated favoritism and unwavering committedness that are his trademarks.

His declaration with Bayern is up astatine the extremity of the play and helium and the nine could not hold a caller one. So, courted by respective others, Dier agreed to motion for Monaco successful Ligue 1 and volition permission the German champions aft their last league crippled astatine the weekend. Bayern volition not person a interest for him. That is not ever however shot works these days.

It did not impact the mode Bayern fans viewed him, though. Before the game, the club's president and its CEO invited Dier connected to the transportation to contiguous him with a bouquet of flowers and a ample poster of him scoring 1 of his 3 goals for the club. He was fixed a lasting ovation by the 75,000 supporters packed into the arena.

They were cheering Dier, of course, but they were besides cheering the information that helium represented a awesome of the team's triumph. If they glorified Dier, they glorified the team. At the other extremity of that spectrum, it is wide immoderate Liverpool players consciousness the mode Alexander-Arnold is being vilified is spoiling their corporate achievement.

To connection an sentiment connected the attraction of Alexander-Arnold astatine Anfield, a stadium that has a well-earned estimation for the generosity and nobility of its spirit, is to beryllium accused of telling Liverpool supporters however to deliberation astir a antheral who was instrumental successful them winning 2 league titles and the Champions League and is leaving for Real Madrid.

No 1 should begrudge supporters the close to marque a large player's farewell ugly, sad, poisonous and regrettable, to extremity a symphony by splitting a Stradivarius successful fractional with an axe. Each to their own. Equally, the mode Bayern and their supporters handled the departure of Dier was each class.

Those of america who had gone to spot Harry Kane assistance his archetypal trophy connected Saturday got thing other arsenic well. We saw an mean lucifer preceded and followed by a fantastic and uplifting spectacle, arsenic the nine said goodbye to Dier and to Thomas Muller, a nine fable who is being released astatine the extremity of the season.

Kane got astir of the attraction from the fewer of america who had travelled retired determination but it besides felt similar a privilege to talk to Dier astatine a infinitesimal that meant truthful overmuch to him.

Dier has ever stood retired for being astute and thoughtful and present helium spoke of the joyousness helium felt and the pridefulness helium took successful being a portion of Bayern, 1 of the large institutions of German life.

'It feels good,' helium said of his archetypal rubric triumph. 'It feels amended than anyone has ever described.

'It's not a decorativeness line. It's not a decorativeness enactment of anything. I deliberation there's galore aspects to it. Obviously being successful an situation wherever you larn however to bash it, larn what it takes to bash it, is important.

'And past evidently there's an facet of alleviation that you've yet done it. There's a immense value disconnected my shoulders successful that sense. It's not astir maine oregon immoderate individual. It's a immense corporate effort.

'I deliberation the 1 happening I've learned astir it is that the travel is the astir enjoyable part. There are truthful galore moments during the season. And those moments each together, they're the peculiar ones. It's astir going connected this travel with a radical of people, having ups and downs on the way, and achieving something.

'This was Thomas's time truthful the presumption was a spot awkward for maine but the club, they're unthinkable with the mode they dainty america successful each of these moments. The mode they admit the players successful each infinitesimal similar this.

'I've seen it truthful galore times wherever the nine beryllium wherefore they are who they are with the mode they transportation themselves.'

The goodbye to Muller, who has played 750 times for his boyhood nine and holds Bayern's quality record, was connected a antithetic level to thing I've ever seen earlier astatine a shot match. He was fixed a defender of honour erstwhile helium was substituted a fewer minutes from the extremity and determination were immense banners of tribute to him successful the crowd.

After the last whistle, helium climbed into the crowd, took a microphone and addressed the fans who person worshipped him for truthful long. He held tribunal for immoderate clip and erstwhile helium returned to the pitch, helium chose, pointedly, to decorativeness his valedictory code with a gag astir decease that felt similar it was a commentary connected the nuances of a footballer's farewell.

'A begetter is dying astatine home,' Muller began. 'The 3 children are lasting astatine his bedside. Suddenly, the odor of his favourite barroom wafts from the kitchen, wherever the parent is baking it.

'Then the begetter says, "Son, delight bring maine 1 past portion of my favourite cake. That would beryllium my past wish". The lad goes distant but past helium comes backmost from the room without the cake.

'The begetter says, '"What's going on? Where is the cake?" The lad says, "Mum said it's for aft the funeral".'

Acclaim for tennis dopers conscionable not right 

When Jannik Sinner returned from his drugs prohibition to play successful the Italian Open successful Rome past week, helium said helium got the champion reception helium had ever seen. His rival, Carlos Alcaraz, said his instrumentality was 'great' for tennis.

At the aforesaid time, anyone arriving astatine Heathrow's Terminal 5 is greeted with immense moving pictures of Iga Swiatek, who served a paltry one-month drugs prohibition recently, successful a glitzy sponsorship advertisement.

Tennis, similar boxing, is showing much and much signs of having rolled implicit successful the combat against doping. Dopers are not reviled immoderate more. They are treated arsenic avenging heroes.