Trent Alexander-Arnold was certainly on the charm offensive with Real Madrid fans at his unveiling on Thursday - although his previous comments on their biggest rivals might not go down too well.
The former Liverpool right-back made his first official appearance at the Bernabeu since his exit from Anfield was confirmed on Thursday, and he did all he could to make a good first impression on his new club as he opened his press conference by speaking in fluent Spanish.
He didn’t stop there, with the 26-year-old going on to claim that it was only ever going to be a move to the Spanish capital that would see him leave Liverpool.
"To be honest, it was never a question of where to go — it was whether to go or not to go," Alexander-Arnold said.
"What I've probably known for a long time is that if I was to leave Liverpool, it would only be for Real Madrid. That was the only club for me.
"Making that decision wasn't an easy decision, I'm not going to say it was easy, because I'd been there for so long and been a part of it, but eventually you have to make a decision. In my mind I've made the right one and it's one I'm very excited about."
Trent Alexander-Arnold at the press conference during his unveiling as a new Real Madrid player
Trent Alexander-Arnold previously admitted to being a Barcelona fan (Image: Getty Images)
Interesting, then, that Alexander-Arnold seems to have forgotten what he said just five years ago - it seems Madrid hasn’t always been the “dream” he claimed it was.
Back in 2020, during an interview with Alastair Campbell for British GQ, the England international was asked which team, other than Liverpool, he was fond of.
"My favorite team besides Liverpool? Would be Barca," he said. "I feel they have kind of the same values and beliefs as Liverpool.
"They like to bring players through the academy. I grew up watching Messi and that special Barcelona team with Iniesta, Xavi, Henry Eto'o."
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If there’s one thing that’s guaranteed to go down like a lead balloon at the Bernabeu, it’s admitting you’re a Barcelona fan.
The rivalry between the two sides needs no explaining, given they have been the two biggest sides in Spain throughout their history, and Real will be aiming to overhaul Barca next season after the Catalan club claimed the La Liga title this year.
Liverpool.com says: Oh dear Trent. You didn’t think you were going to get away with this one, did you?
Real Madrid fans are notoriously unforgiving, and you can bet if he doesn’t perform well against Barcelona when the chance comes, those comments are going to come back to haunt him. Probably not the wisest of moves for someone who claims to have been dreaming of a move to the Bernabeu…