Liverpool supporters believe Trent Alexander-Arnold is already regretting his move to Real Madrid after hearing the first chant from the Spanish club’s fans.
Although his contract was due to expire at the end of June, Real Madrid paid Liverpool £10 million to secure Alexander-Arnold’s registration in time for the upcoming Club World Cup, which kicks off this Sunday.
Two weeks after the deal was confirmed, the right-back is set to be officially introduced as a Real Madrid player during a presentation at the club’s training facility, Real Madrid City, on Thursday.
As he arrived for the event, dozens of Madrid supporters gathered outside to welcome him, unveiling their first chant in his honor.
However, Liverpool fans were quick to mock the chant, claiming that Alexander-Arnold appeared uncomfortable and might already be questioning his decision to join the Spanish giants.
While meeting club officials near a Madrid medical center, the 26-year-old was met with chants of “Arnold” and applause from supporters.
The chant drew attention just a day after it was announced that Alexander-Arnold would switch from his iconic number 66 to number 12, in line with La Liga’s squad number regulations, which only allow numbers between 1 and 25.
In addition, the England international has opted to wear his first name, “Trent,” on the back of his shirt rather than his surname—a notable personal rebrand.
Yet Real Madrid fans appeared to ignore this change, continuing to chant “Arnold,” a move Liverpool fans believe could annoy the player.
On social media platform X, one user joked, “Shouting ‘Arnold!’ after he’s just rebranded everything to ‘Trent,'” adding a laughing emoji. Another said, “‘Arnold’ chants yeah man I know he’s regretting everything already.” A third commented, “He used to have so much aura, wtf happened.”
Alexander-Arnold is the second summer signing to be unveiled by Real Madrid, following the presentation of former Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen, Xabi Alonso’s first recruit, on June 10.
While the exact date of Alexander-Arnold’s debut is yet to be confirmed, he could make his first appearance as early as June 18 in Real Madrid’s Club World Cup match against Saudi club Al Hilal.