Trent Alexander-Arnold may have sealed his transfer to Real Madrid, but he's set to face a couple of challenges at his new club.
The former Liverpool ace will join Xabi Alonso's squad following the international break, with Jeremie Frimpong replacing him at Anfield. Alexander-Arnold, 26, made an appearance as a substitute in the second half as England secured an underwhelming 1-0 victory over Andorra, inching closer to World Cup qualification.
Given that Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones filled the right-back position on Saturday, it's possible that Alexander-Arnold could step into this role for England's friendly against Senegal on Tuesday. It's shaping up to be a hectic summer for Alexander-Arnold, who was announced as a Madrid player a month early to participate in the forthcoming Club World Cup.
However, he's soon to encounter two new hurdles in Madrid: his preferred No. 66 shirt is unavailable, and he won't be able to drive his favorite car to training. Throughout his Liverpool career, Alexander-Arnold sported the No. 66 on his shirt. As an academy graduate breaking into the first team, the full-back decided to keep his unconventional shirt number.
His triumphs in a Liverpool jersey didn't persuade him to switch to a more traditional number typically worn by a first-team regular, even after he clinched major titles with his childhood club. However, he won't be able to maintain this tradition in the Spanish capital.
La Liga regulations stipulate that no first-team player can sport a shirt number higher than No. 25, with only youth players permitted to don numbers exceeding this. Last season, fellow defender Raul Asencio (No. 35) was one of the few exceptions. But the 22-year-old will need to change his number soon after establishing himself in the first team.
Trent Alexander-Arnold
Trent Alexander-Arnold left Liverpool after winning the Premier League for a second time (Image: Getty Images)
Real Madrid stalwart Dani Carvajal currently occupies the traditional No. 2 for a right-back. As for Alexander-Arnold's potential choices, he could opt for No. 12, No. 24 or No. 25 based on this season's availability.
The transfer market may further influence his options ahead of the next campaign. Additionally, Luka Modric (No. 10), Lucas Vasquez (No. 17) and Jesus Vallejo (No. 18) are all due to see their contracts expire following this summer's Club World Cup.
Regardless of the number Alexander-Arnold selects, he'll need to make another adjustment to his commute to training. During his tenure at Liverpool, the defender frequently journeyed to the club's AXA Training Centre in his Range Rover P530.
The luxury SUV features a 4.4 V8 twin-turbo engine with 530 horsepower and can hit a top speed of 155mph.
Regrettably, he won't be able to flaunt his preferred vehicle to his new Real colleagues due to the club's commercial agreement with BMW. As part of the sponsorship deal, players are prohibited from driving any other brand of car to training, as reported by Spanish outlet El Motor.
The agreement only encompasses electric and hybrid vehicles, which BMW later sells as pre-owned. The silver lining for Alexander-Arnold is that he can choose his vehicle without any cost.
Alexander-Arnold was unveiled as a Real player at the start of this month after the club agreed to a £10 million ($13.5 million) deal with Liverpool for the full-back to terminate his contract a month early. He was expected to join as a free agent at the end of his Reds contract, but Madrid forked out £8.4 million ($11.4 million) plus an additional £1.6 million ($2.1 million) to cover his remaining salary, making him available for the Club World Cup.
Madrid is poised to kick off its Club World Cup campaign against Al-Hilal on June 18. The Spanish team also has group games against Mexican outfit Pachuca and Red Bull Salzburg of Austria. The tournament is slated to run until July 13.