Trent Alexander-Arnold (27, Real Madrid), a side resource for the England national team, made his first steps in a new uniform. His debut was met with mixed feelings. Instead, his "Spanish language skills" have become a topic of discussion.

The Real Madrid uniform has the number 12, and the name on the back is "TRENT" rather than "ALEXANDER-ARNOLD." Alexander-Arnold, who transformed from a promising player at Anfield to a newcomer at Santiago Bernabéu, started in the Club World Cup match against Al Hilal on the 19th (Korean time), where he made his official debut with a 1-1 draw.

Real Madrid acquired Alexander-Arnold from Liverpool this summer. He joined with a transfer fee of £8.4 million (about 15.5 billion won) ahead of the contract expiration and played his first match under coach Xabi Alonso. The player who debuted alongside him was former Bournemouth defender Dean Huysen.

Alexander-Arnold showed several moments of instability in right-side defense early in the match. He was exposed to Al Hilal's counterattacks due to shaky positioning several times, and at one point in the first half, he lost the ball near the halfway line, creating a crisis. He even allowed a header from Al Tambakti during the corner kick defense.

His passes were relatively stable. There were no issues with simple consolidations, but long-range transition passes and crosses often went astray. In particular, his diagonal cross aimed at Vinícius Júnior flew far off target, leaving an impression of disappointment.

As time went on, he regained his flow. At the end of the first half, he intercepted a pass from Saudi national striker Salem Al-Dawsari, becoming the starting point for a counterattack, which Gonzalo García finished off for the team's opening goal. He also made his presence felt defensively by stopping a shot from Al-Dawsari afterward.

In the second half, his position advanced more and more. Rather than playing as a right fullback, he took on a role closer to the center, invigorating the attack with forward distributions. There was a scene where he successfully broke through past Kalidou Koulibaly and provided an accurate cross into the box.

Before being substituted, he recorded a total of 57 ball touches, which was the second-highest on the team. He made 5 crosses, entered the final third 12 times, and completed 16 passes within the final third, all of which were the most on the team. However, he also surrendered possession 12 times, indicating some risks.

As much as his debut match, the language drew attention from fans. During his signing press conference, Alexander-Arnold impressed local media and fans with his fluent Spanish. However, this led some Liverpool fans to raise suspicions, asking, "Hasn't he been planning to transfer for a long time?"

In a post-match interview, he reverted to English. "Speaking in Spanish after the game requires too much concentration. I started learning Spanish a few months ago. It's important to show my willingness to fully adapt to this culture," he said.

According to the BBC, John Obi Mikel, who was in charge of analysis on-site, expressed skepticism. He pointed out, "It's hard to believe that he has acquired such a level of Spanish in just a few months. It probably took a year."

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