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- Trent Alexander-Arnold made his Real Madrid debut in a 1-1 draw to Al-Hilal
- The 26-year-old had a tough maiden start and was subbed after 65 minutes
- Watch every Club World Cup match free on DAZN. Sign Up Now
Liverpool fans have mocked Trent Alexander-Arnold after his debut for Real Madrid, reveling in their former star’s difficult outing following his bitter exit.
The Scouser waved goodbye to his boyhood club at the end of the season, having only recently put an end to a year-long speculation over his future as his Anfield contract wound down.
The Premier League champions managed to secure a £10million fee for the 26-year-old but his departure still left a sour taste in the mouths of many. As a result, scores of Reds fans tuned in to witness his maiden appearance for Los Blancos, which came in their World Club Cup opener against Al-Hilal on Wednesday night.
And they were not disappointed – particularly in the first half – as the England star struggled to find his passing range and was weak in the tackle.
‘He thinks he has a chance to win the Ballon D’or,’ wrote one fan on X, in reference to a 2024 interview in which he stated his aim of becoming the first right-back to win the prestigious award.
Another made reference to Alexander-Arnold’s comments about training with his new Madrid team-mates this week, words that some construed as thinly veiled digs at his old Liverpool colleagues.
They wrote: ‘The ball moves so fast here.’
Responding to a post of a video that professed to show all of Alexander-Arnold’s mistakes against Al-Hilal, one user on X pointed out an instance when the full-back was caught high up the pitch – positioning that nearly cost his side a goal.
‘And here he is in a counter attack against him team,’ the user noted, circling Alexander-Arnold’s position.
A fourth took the chance to swipe of two of the Three Lions’ right-back options, commenting: ‘Bro’s worst than [Kyle] Walker.’
Liverpool fans on social media were not the only ones displeased with Alexander-Arnold’s first outing. Spanish outlet AS gave him a blank rating. He was one of only three stars to get the treatment.
In their report they also stated that the LaLiga giants did not pay a fee to acquire the defender early so that he can take his time to adapt to his new surroundings.
On Wednesday, in his 65 minutes on the pitch, the Englishman won just 25 per cent of his ground duels and lost possession 12 times.
However, Alexander-Arnold showed his quality by delivering the most passes into the final third (12), with him showing some improvement after the interval.
Post-match, he insisted that he knows he ‘made the right decision’ to join Real Madrid after making his debut.
‘It’s the first time that I’ve moved clubs so I didn’t know what to expect. I had no expectations coming into this,’ Alexander-Arnold told Mail Sport.
‘It’s a big change and it’s different but I’m loving every single minute of it and in my mind and my heart, I know that I made the right decision for me.’
The game started at 3pm local time in conditions that were far from ideal for football, with temperatures in excess of 30 degrees celsius and high levels of humidity.
‘Yeah, I found it very challenging (in that heat). It’s very different from England,’ Alexander-Arnold admitted.
‘But it was a very proud moment for me. I’m very happy to have made my debut. It’s something that most, if not all players, dream of in their life. I’m incredibly proud of the achievement but of course there’s some disappointment (with the result) with the mentality that comes as a Madrid player.
‘You want and expect to win every single game but of course, new coach, some new players and new ideas – there’s some positives to take from it, especially in the second half and the foundation has been built to go and win the next game now,’ added the 26-year-old.
