‘Some disappointment’ – Trent Alexander-Arnold reacts to £2.8million Real Madrid debut at Club World Cup
Trent Alexander-Arnold has embodied the winning mentality at Real Madrid by expressing his disappointment with a tough debut.
The summer signing from Liverpool was handed his first Los Blancos start in their 1-1 draw against Al Hilal at the Club World Cup.
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Alexander-Arnold has finally made his first appearance in a Madrid shirtCredit: GettyGonzalo Garcia opened the scoring for Madrid just after the half-hour mark before Ruben Neves equalised with a penalty.
Alexander-Arnold played 65 minutes of the Group H clash at the Hard Rock Stadium before being substituted by head coach Xabi Alonso.
While Madrid were not beaten, they squandered the chance to win in stoppage-time when Federico Valverde saw his penalty saved.
It is the first time the Spanish giants have failed to win a Club World Cup match.
MORE ON THE CLUB WORLD CUPAlexander-Arnold’s group stage appearances are costing Madrid roughly £2.8m-per-game – after they paid around £8.4m to release the defender from his Liverpool contract before it expired on June 30.
And the England star revealed his frustration with the result despite the occasion in Miami.
He told reporters: “It’s a very proud moment for me, very happy to have made my debut.
“It’s something that I think most, if not all, players dream of at some point in their life, I’m incredibly proud of the achievement.
“Of course, there’s some disappointment I think. The mentality that comes with being a Madrid player is wanting and expecting to win every single game.
“But a new coach, some new players, new ideas, some positives in there to take from it, especially in the second half, and foundations being built to go and win the next game.”
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Despite his debut joy, the defender was disappointed with the resultCredit: Getty
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Valverde missed a penalty in the final moments of the matchCredit: GettyAlexander-Arnold, who wore Trent and no. 12 on his shirt for the first time, spoke in Spanish during his introductory speech at Madrid.
He revealed that he had spent ‘a few months’ learning and after his debut, a DAZN reporter asked which language he’d like to speak in.
“In English please,” he said with a smile. “Especially after playing in a game, it’s hard to concentrate that much to be speaking Spanish.”
The 26-year-old was then questioned again on how long he has been learning Spanish for ahead of his Madrid move.
“Not too long, a couple of months,” he replied. “It was something that I found that was very important for me to do.
“I want to adapt and give myself the best start possible going to a new country, a new city, a new team.
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Alexander-Arnold will hope to build on his debut appearance”It’s important to show the intent, that I want to embrace the culture, immerse myself in it and try and adapt as best as possible.
“So that was very important for me to do so.”
Alexander-Arnold could be set to make his second appearance for Madrid on Sunday when they face Mexican outfit C.F. Pachuca.
Red Bull Salzburg are their final opponents in Group H ahead of the knockout stages, with the winners taking home around $125million.
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