Trent Alexander-Arnold has said Real Madrid were the only club he would have considered leaving his hometown club Liverpool for and is confident it was the right decision.
The 26-year-old, who has signed a six-year deal after Real paid £8.5million to release him early from his contract which expires this month, dismissed rumours of heavy influence from his close friend and England team-mate Jude Bellingham.
He also admitted that he had not planned the move in advance, but that he impressed president Florentino Perez and the club's dignitaries present by unexpectedly addressing them in Spanish did not assuage the discontent of a significant section of fans over the way he handled his departure after 20 years at Liverpool.
“To be honest, the question of where exactly to go never came up, but I always knew, probably for a long time, that if I ever left Liverpool, it would only be for Real Madrid, that would be the only club for me,” said Alexander-Arnold, who told a press conference that he had been studying Spanish “for several months.”
“Then there comes a point where you have to make a decision whether to stay or go, and it was a difficult decision because I had been there for so long, but ultimately you have to decide and in my opinion I made the right decision.”
Asked about Bellingham's supposed influence, he added: “It's not exactly what people think but we talked a lot about Liverpool and Real Madrid, those are natural conversations for players and friends.”
“A lot of people suggest he had a big influence on me coming here, but the club speaks for itself. It was a fantastic opportunity for me – I felt it was the right time.”
Alexander-Arnold quickly corrected himself after initially saying he had been “waiting a long time” for this day, clarifying: “By 'waiting a long time' I meant a couple of weeks, not years.
“To be honest, it's not something you can dream about because for many players it's unattainable and unrealistic. Only a few have been able to represent this club,” he said.
“When I was younger I didn’t think I’d be here today, I just focused on being the best footballer I could be.
“It's a dream to be here, but there's still a lot of hard work ahead. I'm looking forward to getting started right away.”
Alexander-Arnold, dressed in a black suit and tie, sat next to his girlfriend Estelle Behnke as a montage of his best Liverpool moments was shown, including his two assists in the 4-0 Champions League semi-final win over Real Madrid's arch-rivals Barcelona.
His mother Dianna sat next to his father Michael and brothers Tyler (his agent) and Marcell, and they could be seen wiping away tears at the end of the video.
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez described Alexander-Arnold as “a player who has won everything, one of the best defenders and full-backs in world football. One of the greatest players in the world joins this club and hopefully we can write a new page in the history books.”
The tournament kicks off in the United States later this month at the Club World Cup, which is why Real Madrid have paid Liverpool to release the right-back from his contract early.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
