Real Madrid ultimately paid a £10 million fee to fast-track his arrival ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup, but the move left a bitter taste for Liverpool fans who had idolised him since his academy days. Pundits didn’t hold back either. Club legend Jamie Carragher publicly admitted he could see why fans were livid, calling the switch “a betrayal that cuts deep.”
Swift’s “Wi$h Li$t” lyrics appear harmless at first glance, but many believe they carry a hidden jab. The verse describing someone “living off the grid” and chasing “a contract with Real Madrid” has been interpreted as a tongue-in-cheek nod to Trent’s career move and new life under the Spanish sun. The pop icon famously performed twice at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium last year during her record-breaking Eras Tour, the same venue Alexander-Arnold now calls home. While Swift has never publicly declared allegiance to any football team, her appearances in Madrid have only fanned the flames of speculation that she was well aware of what she was writing about.
Away from the pop drama, Alexander-Arnold’s early days at Real Madrid have been far from smooth. The 26-year-old has managed just two starts in La Liga and is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury picked up during a Champions League win over Marseille. Before his injury, he had already lost his starting place to veteran right-back Dani Carvajal, with new boss Xabi Alonso favouring experience in the early stages of the campaign.
Alexander-Arnold is tipped to be back on the pitch in late November,while Carvajal is expected to return a month before. With Madrid facing a congested October schedule, including Champions League clashes and the first El Clasico of the season, Alonso is now scrambling to plug gaps in his defence. He turned to Raul Asencio as a stopgap solution against Kairat Almaty and could potentially stick with him against Villarreal on Saturday evening in La Liga.
