Trent Alexander-Arnold has been unveiled as a Real Madrid player just one week after it was confirmed the Spanish giants would pay Liverpool a transfer fee to secure his services in time for the Club World Cup. The English defender embarks on a new journey after 20 long and successful years with his boyhood club.
Everything about the 26-year-old appears different: from only having 'Trent' on the back of his Real Madrid shirt to now donning the number 12 rather than his now iconic 66, and even giving a full speech in Spanish upon his arrival in the capital.
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The reason behind the surprising switch has been revealed.
There was a lot of speculation surrounding the right-back's future for the last 12 months of his Liverpool contract, with supporters unsure if he would stay or make the move to Los Blancos. In the end, his final decision was to embark on a new challenge after lifting his second Premier League trophy. A decision that didn't go down too well with the Anfield faithful.
Liverpool fans may not be happy with his original statement
Alexander-Arnold was quick to state how excited he was for the opportunity to pull on the famous white shirt. Speaking to the media after his unveiling, the England international stated:
"Very, very exciting for me. A day that I've been waiting for a long time now.
"It's a dream to be here, and I'm excited to get started straight away. It's an exciting time for me."
Potentially realising that he could anger Liverpool supporters, due to the fact that his decision to leave the club wasn't made public until the beginning of May, he quickly backtracked. The Premier League-winning campaign ended just two weeks ago, and Alexander-Arnold was quick to change his stance, saying: "Obviously, to clear that up, by waiting a long time, I mean a couple of weeks."
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Alexander-Arnold on Why He Joined Real Madrid
'If I was to ever leave Liverpool it would only be to go to Real Madrid'
Per ESPN, the defender went on to explain his decision to leave his boyhood side to move to the Santiago Bernabeu. He said: "It was never a question of where, it was whether to go or not to go. I've known for a long time, if I was to ever leave Liverpool it would only be to go to Real Madrid. That would be the only club for me."
Going into his reasons for joining the 15-time European champions, he cited Real Madrid's undeniable knack of winning the biggest prizes on offer. He continued:
"Whether you support [Madrid] or not, you have to respect the trophies they've won, the history of it.
"I've always admired teams that win trophies. I saw this club win three Champions Leagues in a row, and win it before that. A big reason is to be a part of that going forward ... We go straight to America, and our mission there is to win that trophy."