Trent Alexander-Arnold surprisingly gave his welcome speech entirely in Spanish as Real Madrid unveiled their new signing at the Estadio Bernabeu.
Alexander-Arnold, 26, arrives after 20 years at boyhood club Liverpool, joining for a fee of £10m to ensure his participation at the Club World Cup.
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The right-back was expected to sign for free at the end of June after opting not to extend his contract at Anfield, an announcement which was made at the beginning of May.
However, Alexander-Arnold’s first words as a Real Madrid player indicate his decision to leave was far from a last-minute one as he showed off his impressive Spanish at the welcome ceremony.
“This doesn’t happen every day,” Alexander-Arnold said in the language of his new employers. “It’s a dream come true, I’m very happy and proud to be here.
“I want to show Real Madrid fans how I play. I do realise I’m signing for Real Madrid and that the demands are high, but I’m going to give my all for the team. I want to win many titles and play alongside the best players.”
In his press conference, he confirmed he had been learning for a “few months”.
The ceremony kicked off with a montage of his greatest moments for Liverpool, among which included his famous performance against El Clasico rivals Barcelona in the Champions League in 2019, where he caught the Blaugrana defence napping from a corner to set up the Reds’ crucial fourth goal on the night.
Alexander-Arnold was instrumental in Liverpool winning Europe’s most prestigious trophy that year, and later added two Premier League titles, two Carabao Cups, an FA Cup and a Club World Cup to his accolade collection across 354 appearances.
The Liverpudlian left his home side on imperfect terms, with his first appearance after announcing his departure seeing him booed by the Anfield faithful. However, as he collected his Premier League winners medal on the final day of the season, a teary-eyed Alexander-Arnold was met with cheers in what was heart-warming send-off.
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Alexander-Arnold will wear the number 12 shirt – forced to ditch his famed 66 due to LaLiga rules – but has also changed the name that will appear on his back, opting for ‘Trent’ over his surname.
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez was sure to hail Alexander-Arnold’s arrival at the ceremony, who joins in time for the start of the Club World Cup next week.
“This is a very special day for Real Madrid fans worldwide,” Perez said. “One of the best right-backs in world football who played for one of the best clubs in the world. A legend in the game at 26 years old, today we welcome him to our family, a player who wants to don the famous Real Madrid jersey.
“We’d like to thank you for joining our club we know it means a lot, you could have signed for any club worldwide but you wanted to commit your future to Real Madrid. Our fans will never forget that gesture.”
Alexander-Arnold could make his debut in Real’s Club World Cup curtain raiser when they take on Saudi side Al-Hilal on Wednesday 18 June at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium.
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