Trent Alexander-Arnold has had his official unveiling at Real Madrid today (hurry up with some Florian Wirtz news to distract us please, Liverpool). His new club has made a not-so-subtle nod to one aspect of his time at Anfield.
There were one or two surprises in the lead-up to Alexander-Arnold's presentation. For one thing, it emerged that he had elected to switch to just "Trent" on the back of his jersey, while he has also taken the number 12 amid La Liga rules that would have prevented him from wearing 66.
But for the most part, these affairs are pretty predictable: a video montage plays, the new signing offers some halting Spanish (Alexander-Arnold was annoyingly fluent, to be fair), and then everyone goes home again wondering if there might have been better ways to spend a Thursday. And Real Madrid's choice of video clip should come as a shock to precisely nobody, given its fierce rivalry with Barcelona.
To be fair, anyone announcing the signing of Alexander-Arnold would presumably want to make reference to that famous Champions League comeback at Anfield. It is the undeniable high point of his time with Liverpool.
Alexander-Arnold has always tried his best to force iconic moments; they never came as naturally to him as they did to someone like Steven Gerrard, who had an entire final named after him. The copycat "kiss to the camera" celebration for a goal that VAR ultimately chalked off against Man United was somewhat symbolic of a player who has perhaps been trying too hard for some time now.
But he did genuinely write his name in folklore with his "corner taken quickly". Given that it came at the expense of Barcelona, referencing it at the unveiling was the lowest of low-hanging fruit for Real Madrid.
Trent Alexander-Arnold during the UEFA Champions League Semi Final second leg match between Liverpool and Barcelona at Anfield on May 07, 2019 in Liverpool, England.
Trent Alexander-Arnold during the UEFA Champions League Semi Final second leg match between Liverpool and Barcelona at Anfield on May 07, 2019 in Liverpool, England. (Image: Alex Livesey - Danehouse/Getty Images)
With Alexander-Arnold watching on in a suit, the assembled media and dignitaries were shown his highlight reel from that meeting in 2019. Any chance to get one over on the Catalans, who recently claimed the La Liga title at Los Blancos' expense.
Real Madrid also played some dressing room footage. The video showed Alexander-Arnold in the immediate aftermath of the game, drinking in the enormity of the comeback from 3-0 down on aggregate against Barcelona.
Unsurprisingly, the video cut off right before Alexander-Arnold kissed the Liverpool badge. The whole transfer has involved brushing under the carpet the uncomfortable truth that the full-back once professed undying commitment to his boyhood club.
But what's done is done, and Alexander-Arnold will now hope to set about writing new history. There is surely a part of him that wishes his signature moment did not come more than six years ago now.
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As for Liverpool, it can at least be thankful that Real Madrid chose to take cheap shots at Barcelona rather than going for the most inflammatory route possible. The Spaniards had two Champions League finals to choose from if they wanted footage of Alexander-Arnold in action against his new club.
In fairness, that wouldn't really have benefited anyone. Real Madrid would not have wanted to show its new signing on the losing side, and Alexander-Arnold didn't need the reminder either.
His ambition now is to reach plenty more Champions League finals, picking up some more trophies in the process. But he has left behind a club with the exact same ambition — it seems only a matter of time before he meets Liverpool again, and no amount of reinvention to "Trent" will spare him from a frosty reception.