Trent Alexander-Arnold, who has previously expressed admiration for Xabi Alonso, is set to be teaming up with the Reds legend at Real Madrid this summer.
Alonso, who has confirmed he will leave Bayer Leverkusen, is rumored to be taking over the managerial role at the Santiago Bernabéu, while Alexander-Arnold has also confirmed he will be leaving Liverpool at the end of the season with Los Blancos the likely destination.
Alonso, who was once tipped as a potential successor to Jurgen Klopp, faced his former club for the first time since leaving Liverpool in 2009 in the Champions League earlier this season and it was then Alexander-Arnold shared a heartfelt moment with Alonso on social media.
Alexander-Arnold, frequently compared to the ex- Real Madrid and Bayern Munich midfielder for his passing abilities, seized the chance to showcase his technical skills to Alonso. After the match, the England international shared an Instagram photo of himself embracing the 42-year-old while retrieving the ball.
Back in 2019, Alexander-Arnold revealed that Alonso, alongside Steven Gerrard, were his role models. Speaking to the official club website at the time, the England international expressed deep admiration for the players who had shaped his footballing journey during his time at the academy, saying: “I think it’s just about replicating the players that I wanted to be when I was younger – the likes of Gerrard, Alonso, who were unbelievable passers of the ball. I always wanted to be able to pass a ball like that.
“Obviously I still look up to them massively and sometimes I still find myself watching clips of them – especially I always watch his old clips, his old games. He’s someone that I still look up to now and still an idol for me.”
(Image: Getty Images)
Even back then, the photo of the pair, which garnered 1.2 million likes, was flooded with fan comments speculating that the two might reunite at Real Madrid in the summer. With the 2024/25 season nearing its end, that possibility now seems increasingly likely
When Klopp announced he was leaving Liverpool, Alonso had previously stated that he was not leaving Germany, citing his personal growth as a coach, but seemed unaware that Carlo Ancelotti’s contract at Real Madrid was set to run until 2026—the same year Alonso’s deal with Leverkusen was due to expire.
Similarly, Alexander-Arnold admitted that leaving Liverpool would be “easily the hardest decision of his life.” However, he was fully aware of the outside interest in him, suggesting that without such attention, he might not have considered leaving the Premier League champions at all.
