Trent Alexander-Arnold has been handed his new shirt number at Real Madrid ahead of the Club World Cup.
The right-back is in line to make his debut for the Spanish giants next Wednesday when they face Al-Hilal in their first group game after Real paid Liverpool £10m to release him from his contract early so he could play in the tournament.
Alexander-Arnold wore the No 66 shirt at Liverpool, but this will not be an option at Real due to LaLiga rules stating that shirt numbers must fall between 1 and 25.
Youth players who are not registered but still eligible to play are an exception to the rule, with the likes of Los Blancos defender Raul Asencio permitted to wear No 35 during this campaign.
It has now been confirmed that Alexander-Arnold will wear the No 12 shirt at his new club. The name on the back of his shirt will also change and now read ‘Trent’ rather than ‘Alexander-Arnold’.
The 26-year-old is due to be unveiled as a Madrid player on Thursday before the team jet off to the US to compete in the group stage where they are scheduled to face Al-Hilal, Pachuca and Red Bull Salzburg.
It has been confirmed that Trent Alexander-Arnold will wear No. 12 for Real Madrid
He has been handed a new shirt number following his controversial departure from Liverpool
It didn’t take long for Alexander-Arnold to confirm his new kit number via a change in his own Instagram handle.
Previously, the defender’s handle was ‘@trentarnold66’. However, shortly after his kit change was confirmed, his Instagram handle changed to ‘@trent’.
It will be Alexander-Arnold’s first chance to impress new manager Xabi Alonso, with the Spaniard taking over from Carlo Ancelotti.
Fans will be eager to see how Alexander-Arnold settles at Madrid following his controversial Liverpool exit.
As well as his new kit number, Alexander-Arnold has been forced to make another change from his life at Liverpool after being banned from taking his prized possession over to Spain.
The one thing from home that he won’t be able to take to his new club is his £130,000 Range Rover that he has been driving around England.
That’s because Madrid have a sponsorship agreement with BMW, which prevents players driving any other cars to the club’s training ground, according to El Motor.
The car manufacturer provides Real Madrid players with cars to use throughout the season, meaning they will hook up Alexander-Arnold with a new whip when he arrives in Spain.
The agreement includes plug-in hybrid and electric models, before they are sold by the manufacturer as pre-owned models.
Alexander-Arnold, who is currently on international duty with England, will still be able to drive an SUV, even though it won’t be the Range Rover he has been used to on Merseyside.
Alexander-Arnold’s Instagram handle changed from ‘@trentarnold66’ to ‘@trent’
Alexander-Arnold will don the shirt for the first time under Real boss Xabi Alonso next week
The likes of Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham have opted for the BMW XM, which costs around £152,000 but will be given to the defender for free.
Alexander-Arnold opted to run down his contract to leave his boyhood club on a free transfer at the end of the season, leading to an angry response from some Liverpool fans.
After announcing his decision to leave in early May, Alexander-Arnold was booed by his own supporters when he came off the bench during a 2-2 draw with Arsenal at Anfield.
A number of his team-mates and Arne Slot leapt to his defence after that game as they asked fans to remember his previous years of service.
The England international did not feature in Liverpool’s next game – a 3-2 away defeat by Brighton – but did come on as a half-time substitute on the final day against Crystal Palace.
On that occasion, he received a much better reception from supporters, and he was then cheered by most fans when he went up to collect his medal during the post-match presentation as Liverpool lifted the Premier League trophy.
Alexander-Arnold broke down in tears as he did a lap of honour to thank fans after the presentation, and he was seen crying again during Liverpool’s open-top bus parade the following day.
But he has never left Merseyside behind for a new life in the Spanish capital, and he is just days away from making his debut for Real in his No 12 jersey.
