The 26-year-old defender was formally presented to Madrid supporters at the club’s training ground on Thursday, signing his contract alongside club president Florentino Pérez. With cameras flashing and fans cheering, Alexander-Arnold signed autographs and posed for photos in his new surroundings.
Liverpool have secured a compensation fee for their academy graduate despite his contract expiring this month. Alexander-Arnold has been with the Merseyside club since he was six years old.
The England international will make his Real Madrid debut at this month’s Club World Cup. The Spanish giants begin their campaign on 18th June against Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal.
Spanish newspaper AS described his signing as “risky” but noted he arrives at Madrid in his “physical prime”. The publication warned he faces a “challenge that will test his true worth.”
AS writer Javier Silles wrote: “Alexander-Arnold will be subjected to a challenge that will test his true worth. At Liverpool, especially during Klopp’s tenure, he relied on a double pivot and the help of the centre-back to compensate for his positional errors and hesitant retreat.”
However, Vitor Matos, who worked as Jürgen Klopp’s assistant at Liverpool between 2019 and 2024, defended Alexander-Arnold from criticism about his defensive performances in an interview with Marca.
“In the world we live in, anything becomes a trend, and that’s been a bit of a trend with Trent,” Matos explained. “He’s had games in which he’s been incredibly good at defence. People need to understand the amount of space he has to defend. He has Salah in front of him, and to keep him fresh, he needs to be ‘freed up’, which puts a lot of strain on the full-back. I think the criticism isn’t fair.”
Alexander-Arnold’s trophy cabinet includes a Premier League title, Champions League triumph, and numerous individual accolades during his time at Liverpool.
