Trent Alexander-Arnold will not be allowed to wear the number 66 should he complete a move to Real Madrid in the summer, thanks to a little-known La Liga rule. The Liverpool defender has reportedly agreed to join the Spanish giants on a free transfer, meaning he will leave his boyhood club at the end of the season.
Having come through the academy system at Merseyside, Alexander-Arnold has stuck with the same squad number he was handed when he first broke into the senior squad, despite the fact he has worn the numbers 2, 7, 8, and even 10 on the international stage. And it turns out, he may have to resort to one of those figures at club level, with 66 set to be put into retirement.
trent-number Related
Why Trent Alexander-Arnold Wears Number 66 for Liverpool
Since making his debut for Liverpool back in 2016, Trent Alexander-Arnold has worn the number 66 shirt.
Alexander-Arnold Unable to Wear 66 for Real Madrid
La Liga rules state that squad numbers for first team players can't go that high
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Should the defender make the move to the Santiago Bernabeu, La Liga rules state that he will not be able to sport a number higher than 25, as all numbers for the competition correlate to the number of players that can be registered during the season. Each team in the Spanish top flight has a maximum of 25 first-team squad slots that players are eligible for, and if handed one, a star must wear a number between 1-25.
Youth players who are not registered to the squad list but meet the criteria to still be eligible to play can wear a number above 25, which is why the likes of budding superstar Raul Asencio has been allowed to wear 35 on the back of his jersey this season.
It is for the same reason that Spanish clubs cannot retire shirt numbers in honour of players, as has been suggested Barcelona do for Lionel Messi. If they were to do such a thing, they would be left with one fewer number to use, and if they had a full squad of 25 players, it would mean one star would be banned from playing due to not having a squad number that meets the league's regulations.
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The 23 Strangest Kit Numbers in Football History
From Declan Rice's number 41 to why Phil Foden wears 47, there are plenty of unique squad numbers in the beautiful game.
Potential Squad Numbers for Alexander-Arnold at Real Madrid
The majority of numbers are already taken
At the time of writing, there are only three squad numbers available to Alexander-Arnold at Madrid, all of which he has never worn previously in his career. The number 12 is the lowest number free; however, it is also the last one likely to be taken. While it isn't a specific rule, most La Liga clubs leave the number 12 free to show respect to their supporters, often referred to as the 12th man.
That then leaves the two highest possible numbers, 24 and 25. Given that 25 is often reserved for the third-choice goalkeeper, it would appear that 24 is currently the most likely option. Current club captain Dani Carvajal wears number 2 and is looking to make his return from a serious injury, though he is out of contract in 2026. Alexander-Arnold has previously worn the number 10 for England, currently sported by Luka Modric, whose deal expires at the end of this season, but the Croatian midfielder has expressed his desire to stay in the Spanish capital.