What shirt number will Trent Alexander-Arnold wear at Real Madrid? | OneFootball

On Friday, Real Madrid announced the signing of top target Trent Alexander-Arnold from Liverpool.

The 26-year-old right-back will become a Real Madrid player from June 1, arriving a month before his contract at Liverpool expires, so that he can participate at the FIFA Club World Cup with his new club.

Los Blancos have reportedly had to shell out a fee of €10 million to secure his early release from Liverpool and will also take up his wages for the month of June.

Alexander-Arnold has signed a six-year contract with Real Madrid and is expected to make his debut on June 18 when they face Al-Hilal in their FIFA Club World Cup opener in the USA.

No more No. 66 for Alexander-Arnold

With Alexander-Arnold’s arrival, Real Madrid will have depth at right-back, allowing for rotation between him and Carvajal.

However, one detail will change for the new signing: he will not be able to wear his usual No. 66 shirt in Spain.

Throughout his senior career at Liverpool, the Englishman has donned the No. 66 jersey, but that will no longer be possible at Real Madrid due to La Liga rules.

No more No. 66 for Alexander-Arnold. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Spanish football regulations only allow first-team players to wear squad numbers from 1 to 25. Numbers 1,13, and 25 are reserved for goalkeepers, as outlined in Article 239 of the Spanish Football Federation’s rulebook concerning “Player Uniforms.”

What number will Alexander-Arnold take?

As such, Now, Alexander-Arnold will need to choose a new number at Real Madrid. During his youth career with the Reds, the defender has worn other numbers such as 2, 15, 17, and 18.

However, at Real Madrid, the No. 2 is taken by Dani Carvajal while Arda Guler has the No. 15 shirt.

But with Jesus Vallejo leaving, the No. 18 shirt will be available for Alexander-Arnold while the #17 kit also will become free after Lucas Vazquez leaves once the FIFA Club World Cup is done.

The iconic No. 12 shirt made famous by club legend Marcelo, a full-back like Alexander-Arnold is free as is No. 24.

With Kylian Mbappe expected to take #10 after Luka Modric leaves and Endrick likely to don the #9 shirt, the No. 16 kit could also become available for Alexander-Arnold.

It remains to be seen which shirt Alexander-Arnold will choose among these or if he opts to wait to see what other numbers become available following potential squad changes.