Trent and the art of making it simple for those around him
Against Real Sociedad, he confirmed his ability to create play from the wing, and not just with crosses into the box. There’s no better ally.
Trent Alexander-Arnold arrived at Real Madrid convinced he was making the right move.
With the utmost respect for Liverpool, he felt the time had come to embrace a different challenge in his career – one driven not by money, but by the ambition of joining a club of Real Madrid’s stature. There was no hesitation in a transfer that had been carefully considered. Nor was there any doubt when he said yes. He immersed himself in the club’s history and did everything possible to learn and speak Spanish as part of a rapid adaptation process, although for many his football alone – the kind that once made him one of the world’s top full-backs – was introduction enough.
The defender – that is his position, and it is from there that his game stands apart – did not arrive at an easy moment. Combined with the physical setbacks he suffered, it led to an uncomfortable spell, one he has overcome with the support of teammates and the club, which never doubted his worth. Ill-intentioned rumors from England only fueled his motivation.
Inside the locker room, it took just two training sessions for everyone to grasp his class. Gonzalo’s gesture on the opening goal against Real Sociedad spoke volumes about the trust he inspires. The forward asked for the ball, and there it was – delivered precisely where it needed to be, setting up the academy graduate’s finish.
He is a different kind of full-back, the perfect complement to Dani Carvajal. His game is built on a gifted right foot that brings teammates to life, thanks to an innate ability to place the ball exactly where it needs to go, even when the passing lane seems impossible or invisible to others. Against Real Sociedad he confirmed what he had already shown before his most recent injury – the capacity to build play from the flank, not merely swing crosses into the box.
In a sport where pressure is relentless and constant, the ability to launch attacks from deep has become essential. Trent plays the game, speaks Spanish and, in less than an hour, was able to spark Real Madrid’s build-up from right-back on eleven occasions with purposeful long passes. His teammates make the runs and the ball finds them. There is no better ally. Vinícius and Gonzalo can attest to that.
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