Trent Alexander-Arnold on 'incredible' Real Madrid debut in FIFA Club World Cup despite Al Hilal draw - 'What every player dreams of'
By Matt Jones
Updated 18/06/2025 at 23:29 GMT+1
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Trent Alexander-Arnold branded his Real Madrid debut as "incredible" despite the Spanish giants drawing 1-1 with Al Hilal at the FIFA Club World Cup. The England international lasted 64 minutes before being substituted in Miami. Los Blancos missed an injury-time penalty as they failed to get a win, with Alexander-Arnold admitting Xabi Alonso's side "have things we can work on".
Trent Alexander-Arnold #12 of Real Madrid C. F. reacts following the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 group H match between Real Madrid CF and Al Hilal at Hard Rock Stadium on June 18, 2025 in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Image credit: Getty Images
Trent Alexander-Arnold's Real Madrid debut may have ended in a draw, but the defender insisted there was nothing anti-climactic about the occasion from a personal point of view.
The England international made the switch to Los Blancos from Liverpool earlier this summer, with the move forced through so that he could feature in the FIFA Club World Cup.
He duly made his bow for the Spanish giants in their 1-1 draw against Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal.
And despite Madrid's failure to get the victory expected of them, Alexander-Arnold said the match in Miami saw him live out almost every player's dreams.
"An amazing day to make my debut for Real Madrid," he told Channel 5. "Almost what every player dreams of.
"[There was] some disappointment to not have won the game. The mentality you need to have as a Real Madrid player is to expect to win every game you're playing, but a lot of positives, especially in the second half.
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"[It was] incredible. I felt the support from the moment that I signed for the club, to be honest. Absolutely sensational.
"It's a fanbase that is global, truly global. You feel it every single day; the fans at the training ground and the hotel. All over social media as well, the support is incredible.
"We dominated the stands today as well, which was incredible. The support is truly amazing."
All was going well for Real when they took a 34th-minute lead through Gonzalo Garcia.
However, their opponents equalised before half-time when ex-Wolves man Ruben Neves scored a penalty.
Xabi Alonso, making his debut as Los Blancos manager following his switch from Bayer Leverkusen, attempted to shake things up, with the likes of Arda Guler and Brahim Diaz entering the fray.
And they had the chance to steal the victory from the spot in second-half injury time, only for goalkeeper Yassine Bounou to deny Federico Valverde.
By this point, Alexander-Arnold had been substituted, as he was withdrawn in the 64th minute.
He admitted his new team-mates put in a much better performance after the break though, as he continued: "Especially [in the] second-half, I think we kept the ball really well. I think that's what we lacked, maybe, in the first half.
"Especially in the climate, in the heat, it's probably best to keep hold of the ball for as long as you can, let the other team do the running.
"We did that [in the] second-half. We made them sit deep. We were in and around their box a lot, putting in crosses, getting shots off.
"It just wasn't meant to be. Of course we had the penalty late on, but these things do happen in football. No one is to blame.
"We take the positives. We have things that we can work on as well, and I'm sure we'll do that going into the next game."
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