At a glance
- Trent Alexander-Arnold is in his first season at Real Madrid after signing on a free transfer from Liverpool.
- Slowly but surely, he’s becoming a starting right back under Alvaro Arbeloa.
- That effect, the World Cup hopeful is about to become the right back with the most appearances for Los Blancos this season against Espanyol (19 appearances).
Trent Alexander-Arnold will set a small record for Real Madrid if given the starting nod against Espanyol, which he’s expected to according to MARCA.
By lining up for Los Blancos at the RCDE Stadium late on Sunday night in Spain, the Englishman will become the right back for the most appearances in Alvaro Arbeloa‘s squad for the 2025/2026 season.
His 19 appearances will surpass those of stand-in Fede Valverde on 18. And he already eclipses his direct positional rival Dani Carvajal with eight.
Raul Asencio also made four appearances there, and academy product David Jiminez managed three.
Trent has had a good run in for Real Madrid since winter
Two muscle injuries blighted the 27-year-old’s progress in the Spanish capital after joining from Liverpool on a free transfer.
Yet after returning from his latest knock on February 8, Trent has won the competition for recognition under Arbeloa. He’s been picked for 12 of Madrid’s 17 matches, across La Liga and the Champions League.
He was only a substitute in his first game back against Valencia at the Mestalla. In four other matches Carvajal was fancied ahead of him, and one of those included the derby against Atletico Madrid when he was punished for being late to training.
Other than that, Trent has had a decent first year at one of the world’s biggest clubs. There was criticism for his defensive work in the UCL quarterfinal first leg defeat to Bayern Munich. But that was then undone by fantastic attacking contributions including an assist for Kylian Mbappe in the 2-1 defeat.
As Madrid trail Barca by 11 points at the La Liga summit, Trent’s personal mission is to finish the campaign as strongly as possible while hopefully convincing Thomas Tuchel to include him in the Three Lions’ World Cup squad.
