Why Trent Alexander-Arnold can’t wear his iconic shirt number at Real Madrid
La Liga rules mean Trent Alexander-Arnold will not be able to wear his iconic shirt number should he complete a move to Real Madrid in the summer.
Alexander-Arnold’s future has the subject สมัคร ufabet กับเรา รับโบนัสทันที of intense speculation for much of this season, with the 26-year-old right-back nearing the end of his current contract at Liverpool.
Madrid’s interest in Alexander-Arnold stretches back a number of years and widespread reports this week suggest the Spanish champions are closing in on a deal for the England international.
The growing realisation that Liverpool look likely to lose a player of Alexander-Arnold’s calibre on a free transfer has left many supporters outrage – and a similar story could unfold with both Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk over the coming months.
A boyhood fan of the Reds, Alexander-Arnold made his debut under Jurgen in 2016 and the Scouser has gone on to win seven trophies with the Merseyside giants, including the Premier League and the Champions League.
An 18-year-old Alexander-Arnold broke through wearing the No.66 and the full-back has since made the unusual number his own, clearly taking the ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ approach.
But he would be force into a change should the propose switch to the Bernabeu materialise as La Liga rules stop players from wearing anything above 25 – the maximum squad size that teams can register.
This same rule has prevente the likes of Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid from retiring numbers made famous by club legends, a gesture that has become commonplace in English football.
However, youth players that are not already registere are permitte to wear numbers higher than 25 in the Spanish top flight.
Alexander-Arnold dons the No.18 when representing England at international level, but this number is currently worn by Spanish central defender Jesus Vallejo at Real Madrid.
In 2020, Liverpool’s kit management coordinator, Lee Radcliffe, shed some light on why Alexander-Arnold had resiste the urge to swap his No.66 for a more classic figure.
‘When we get any young lads that come down from the academy, we always try to give them a high-ish number,’ he told Liverpool’s official website.
‘We don’t like to give them a low number. In case they sort of think they’ve made it straight away, if you know what I mean.