Trent Alexander-Arnold revealed he has been learning Spanish for a few months after speaking the language at his Real Madrid unveiling. The England international knew he had surprised a lot of people at his Real Madrid presentation as he spoke fluent Spanish, declaring his move from Liverpool a dream come true.
Alexander-Arnold then gave a news conference where he labelled his new head coach and ex-Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso a big idol, downplayed the influence of Real and England team-mate Jude Bellingham in his move and admitted Real were the only club who could have taken him from Liverpool.
Transfer Centre LIVE! | Every PL clubs latest transfer newsPremier League ins and outsSky Sports to show 215 live PL games from next seasonChoose the sports notifications you want!Alexander-Arnold, who has joined the Spanish giants on a six-year contract, praised Liverpools perfect send-off and also revealed the clubs owners said he would always be welcome back at any point.
The Reds agreed to let the 26-year-old join Real early in a deal worth £10m, which means he is set to make his Real debut next Wednesday at the Club World Cup in the USA as Alonsos side face Al Hilal in their opening group game.
What did Trent say in Spanish?Before his presentation, Real showed a lengthy highlights reel of his time at Liverpool and his best moments for England as Alexander-Arnold watched the montage from the front row alongside his girlfriend, parents and brothers.
Then, following a speech from Real president Florentino Perez, in which he declared Alexander-Arnold a legend, the Liverpool academy graduate spoke in Spanish. He said: Thank you Florentino Perez and the club for this opportunity.
This doesnt happen every day. Its a dream come true. Im very happy and proud to be here. I want to show Real Madrid fans how I play. I do realise Im signing for Real Madrid, the demands are high, but Im going to give my all to the team and Real Madrid fans.
I want to show those fans how I play. I want to win many titles, I want to be a winner here and enjoy playing alongside the best. Hala Madrid. But Alexander-Arnold did not speak Spanish at his news conference as he answered every question in English.
When asked by Sky Sports News how long he had been learning the language, he said smiling: A few months. He later added: He [Perez] was happy with the Spanish that I was able to speak, which I think surprised a lot of people.
But I think for me it was important to be able to do that and it shows the intent that Ive got to come here and have a good start and get off on the right front foot and achieve things straight away, starting with the Club World Cup.
Id always be welcome back at Liverpool Alexander-Arnold praised how Liverpool handled his exit after ending his 20-year association with his boyhood club. He said: Being at Liverpool for so long, experiencing everything I did was incredible.
Knowing it was coming to an end was always going to be emotional for me. But I felt I went out in a way Im happy about. The send off I got, the way the treated me, the way the fans were was outstanding.
I couldnt say a bad word. Speaking to the players, the manager, and the owners, they were all incredible and showed a lot of support. I had an amazing conversation in the last couple of days with the owners, they were very warm and welcoming, thanked me for everything I gave in service to the club, whished me well on my future journey and said Id always be welcome back at the club at any point.
To have those words from the club is amazing. Sent off in the perfect way. Now to face a new challenge. Im very, very excited. Over the moon to be here. Im very lucky and very proud to be here. Did Bellingham help him move to Real? Alexander-Arnold is a close friend of Real Madrid midfielder Bellingham, but he played down his new team-mates influence in bringing him to the Bernabeu.
We spoke, he admitted. It wasnt exactly what people thought it was! We spoke a lot about Liverpool, we spoke a lot about Madrid. They are conversations you have as players, as friends. You want to know what its like, of course.
At the national team, he was the only one who knew what it was like to be at Real Madrid, so everyone was asking him questions. A lot of people think he played a huge part in me coming here but the club speaks for itself, it was a huge opportunity for me, it felt like the right time and a chance to go and do that.
Real boss Alonso a big idol Alexander-Arnold will be managed by ex-Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso, who became Real boss at the end of last month, and the defender said the former midfielder was a huge influence growing up.
He said: I grew up a Liverpool fan. Seeing Istanbul with the manager now (Xabi Alonso) doing amazing things there, part of an incredible final. Ive spoken to him, weve spoken a little bit. Its good to have that communication.
I told him he was a big idol of mine growing up. To be able to work with him now is a dream come true for me. Someone who probably impacted my game a lot growing up. I explained this to him as well, watching him pass a ball influenced me to go and train harder and have a great hunger to do that and set standards.
We havent formally met yet and had a proper chat. Im sure over the next days and weeks we can talk about what he expects from me. Its not just me who is new here, he has to get his ideas across to the whole team, so it might take some time.
But hes shown how amazing he is as a manager and as a player. His knowledge of football is there in abundance. Ill be a sponge around him, trying to soak up all the information I can. Real only club Id leave Liverpool for Joining the 15-time European champions was not an easy decision for Alexander-Arnold, but he admitted they were the only club he would have left Anfield for.
He said: Ive known for a long time, if I was ever to leave Liverpool, it would be to go to Real Madrid. That would be the only club for me. It gets to a point where youve got to make a decision whether to go or stay.
Making that decision, it wasnt an easy decision. Id been there so long, been a part of it. But eventually you have to make a decision and in my mind Ive made the right one and its one Im very excited about.
Why is Trent wearing No. 12 shirt at Real Alexander-Arnold will wear the No. 12 shirt at Real with the name on the back displaying Trent rather than Alexander-Arnold. Explaining the name change, he said: Ive always found when I travel to Europe, the whole name situation confuses a lot of people, with there being three names and double-barrelled.
People call me Arnold, people call me Alexander, people call me Alex, people call me Trent! I thought, lets make it easy, Trent on the back, be known as Trent, thats my name, so thats what people will call me.
He had worn the No. 66 shirt at Liverpool, but he is unable to wear that in Spain because LaLiga rules state that first-team players must wear a shirt number between one and 25, with goalkeepers limited to 1, 13 or 25.
Alexander-Arnolds No. 12 shirt was famously worn by left-back Marcelo during the Brazilians trophy-laden 16 years at the Bernabeu. Alexander-Arnolds number change has led to him removing 66 from his Instagram handle, with his new username reading @trent.
