Trent Alexander-Arnold Faces Unexpected Change Ahead of Real Madrid Move

Reports on Tuesday evening indicated that Liverpool’s Trent Alexander Arnold'll have to make significant sacrifice if he completes his expected summer move to Real Madrid.

Number 66 No More?

According to Daily Mail, the England international will be unable to wear his signature number 66 at Real Madrid due to LaLiga regulations that restrict registered squad numbers to between 1 & 25.

Real Madrid's reportedly confident of securing Alexander Arnold’s signature once his contract with Liverpool expires this summer. While Liverpool sources insist no official confirmation has been received, fans are already preparing for the departure of their 26 year old right back.

La Liga Rules & Historical Context

Alexander Arnold's retained his number 66 since breaking into Liverpool’s first team, despite wearing numbers like 2, 7, 8 and 10 for England. However in Spain, numbers above 25 are reserved for youth or unregistered players, meaning he must select new number at Madrid.

This same rule's historically prevented Spanish clubs from retiring legendary numbers, such as Lionel Messi’s No10 at Barcelona and Cristiano Ronaldo’s No 7 at Real Madrid, as doing so would limit the squad size to 24 players.

If Alexander-Arnold’s transfer's finalized, he'll have to choose new number, marking significant shift as he embarks on his new journey with Los Blancos.

Khaled Hegazy |

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Journaliste sportif spécialisé dans la couverture du football et la création de contenu numérique, alliant expérience éditoriale et expertise des médias sociaux.