The cap that changed Trent's fortunes and his parallel life with Dani Carvajal: "I've played for the biggest team in England, and now, for the biggest in Spain."

"I'm just a normal kid from Liverpool whose dream came true." The phrase still dominates the giant mural that the Reds' fans made for Trent Alexander-Arnold , who was presented yesterday as a new Real Madrid player. During his speech, Florentino Pérez praised and emphasized the British footballer's desire to play for Real Madrid, while always respecting the legacy he leaves behind at Anfield Road. "You could have continued at any club, but you chose Real Madrid and it's something we'll never forget," the president praised at the player's presentation.

And it hasn't been an easy step for the defender. "I've always known that if I ever left Liverpool, it would be for Real Madrid," he confessed. His journey to the shores of Merseyside dates back to the age of six and a stroke of fate: a piece of paper pulled from a cap.

Liverpool scouts visited various schools in the city to invite children to tryouts for entry into the club's youth teams. Among them, the chosen one was young Trent's school. When the Reds staff asked which children wanted to participate, everyone in the class raised their hands, so they wrote their names on several pieces of paper and drew six from a cap. "Trent," one read.

It only took the scouts ten minutes on the pitch to approach Trent's mother, Dianne, and tell her they wanted the boy to train with them. Alexander-Arnold was six years old and that's when he began a 12-season journey to the Liverpool first team. He went through it all, much like Dani Carvajal , his teammate at right back, at Valdebebas.

Next to Trent in the basketball arena where Florentino welcomed him were his two brothers, Tyler, four years older, and Marcel, three years younger. The former is also his agent, a detail that explains the intense family relationship within the footballer. In Trent's words, Tyler had to give up his dream of becoming a footballer to accompany his middle brother to training with Liverpool's youth teams. His father worked in London, and his mother couldn't handle everything. "He wanted to play with his team, but he sacrificed himself so I could go to training," the defender explained.

At 26, Alexander-Arnold became one of the most important footballers of his generation and ended up saying goodbye to Liverpool after 20 seasons with the club, nine of them in the first team, and having won two Premier League titles, two League Cups, an FA Cup, a Community Shield, a Champions League, a European Super Cup, and a Club World Cup. "I've played for the biggest team in England and now in Spain, and you're expected to win titles at both," the full-back confirmed.

The influence of Jude

His extensive career at Anfield meant that, over time, he began to look to other horizons and challenges. And that's when Jude Bellingham and Real Madrid came into play. The Real Madrid midfielder was largely responsible for Trent's move to the Chamartín club. The two are inseparable at England training camps, but especially at the European Championship, their relationship grew even stronger. The summer in Germany, just after Bellingham's great first season at Real Madrid, helped the Liverpool defender begin to show interest in a hypothetical future at the Bernabéu.

That interest crossed with that of Real Madrid, who tested the market for future free agents and noticed that Alexander-Arnold's contract was out in June 2025. What might have seemed impossible due to a question of eternal loyalty to Liverpool became something accessible thanks, in part, to Bellingham 's words, although the Real Madrid defender played down his pressure: "People think he played a very important role in me being here, but this club needs no introduction," he maintained.

Madrid looked into signing him in the winter transfer window due to Carvajal 's injury, but the Reds' refusal left everything pending for the summer. Trent accepted his future as a Real Madrid player, but negotiations still had to be negotiated with Liverpool, because the Whites wanted the full-back for the Club World Cup, and since his contract didn't expire until July, they had to pay five million to Anfield Road to enjoy the player for a month.

The full-back is grateful for the gesture and, excited, is happy to have been able to join Real Madrid, where he will play alongside one of his childhood idols, his own coach, Xabi Alonso, and is looking forward to meeting his teammates at training today. "I still have to pinch myself to realize it's not a dream," the player declared after signing his Real Madrid contract.