Trent Alexander-Arnold has left Liverpool to join Real Madrid, with the former Reds vice-captain wrapping up his move to the Spanish team earlier this month after much speculation.
The Merseyside club struck an agreement with Madrid, facilitating Alexander-Arnold's switch to the Santiago Bernabeu ahead of his Anfield contract's June expiry, in time for Real Madrid's Club World Cup campaign. Liverpool has already signed Jeremie Frimpong to replace the Englishman.
Alexander-Arnold was officially unveiled as a Madrid player on Thursday, marking a new chapter in his career. He spoke in perfect Spanish, suggesting he had been plotting to wind down his Liverpool contract and join Madrid for some time.
Following the media presentation, the Scouser took to Instagram to share his sentiments, posting "Family is everything," alongside images of him donning the Real Madrid strip with his relatives.
The post quickly garnered over 1.9 million likes, including nods from current Liverpool teammates Federico Chiesa, Andy Robertson, Wataru Endo, Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch, Luis Diaz, and Tyler Morton.
Likes also flowed in from ex-Liverpool colleagues Roberto Firmino, Gini Wijnaldum, Jordan Henderson, and Adam Lallana, showing their support for Alexander-Arnold's new venture.
Trent Alexander-Arnold at the press conference during his unveiling as a new Real Madrid player
Trent Alexander-Arnold at the press conference during his unveiling as a new Real Madrid player (Image: Getty Images)
Henderson, who shared many seasons with Alexander-Arnold at Liverpool, showed his affection with a red heart emoji comment on the Instagram post.
Jude Bellingham, who will now play alongside Alexander-Arnold at Madrid, left a white love heart emoji as his comment on the post.
Alexander-Arnold's first match since leaving Liverpool to become a Real Madrid player could come on 18 June, when the Spanish outfit face Al-Hilal in the group stage of the FIFA Club World Cup.
Speaking at his unveiling, Alexander-Arnold said: "Signing for a club like Real Madrid doesn’t happen every day. It’s a dream come true. I feel incredibly happy and proud to be here. I can’t wait to show all the Madridistas my football and give everything for this badge."
He added: "I’m aware that playing for Real Madrid comes with great responsibility, and I’m ready to give everything for the team and for the Madridistas.
"I can’t wait to show my game, win many titles, become a champion, grow, and enjoy every moment alongside the best players in the world. Thank you, and Hala Madrid!"
Alexander-Arnold later slipped up at his unveiling by saying he'd been waiting a "long time" to make the move. He said: "Very very exciting for me. A day that I have been waiting for a long time now. Very excited, very happy, very proud to be here.
"It's a dream to be here, but there is still a lot of hard work to do, and I'm excited to get started straight away. It's an exciting time for me."
The player then quickly backtracked on his "long time" remark by adding: "To clear that up, by waiting a long time I mean a couple of weeks. Not years.
"But I am very excited to be here. Whether you support the club or not, you have to respect the trophies that the club win. No matter what, that has been always there for me. I have always admired players and clubs that win trophies."