After 20 years at Liverpool, Trent Alexander-Arnold is packing his bags — and leaving his iconic No.66 behind.
While fans get used to seeing him in white instead of red, the real shock might be his new jersey number at Real Madrid.
The right-back is set for a fresh challenge in Spain, with a five-year deal at Real Madrid believed to be signed and sealed.
But despite all the glamour and excitement of a move to one of the biggest clubs in the world, there’s one thing Trent won’t carry with him — his beloved No.66.
That’s right, the digits he’s worn since stepping into Liverpool’s first team will be left behind. Not by choice, but by rule.
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Why Trent Alexander-Arnold can’t wear No.66 in La Liga?
In La Liga, shirt numbers must fall between 1 and 25 — matching the size of the registered squad. So Trent’s No.66? Offside.
This same rule kept Barcelona from retiring Messi’s No.10 and Real Madrid from honoring Ronaldo’s No.7 in the same way. Even legends can’t escape the rulebook in Spain.
But the drama doesn’t end there.
Real Madrid’s president, Florentino Pérez, is known for his own preferences. He likes tradition — and by that, he means jersey numbers between 1 and 11.
Club icon Zinedine Zidane once revealed, “I picked the number five shirt because he [Perez] didn’t want me to have 25, 30, 35. He said ‘this is not football, this is American football.’”
So even if La Liga had allowed No.66, chances are Perez wouldn’t have.
As for Trent, most of the low numbers at Madrid are already taken. Unless someone like Dani Carvajal hands over the No.2 shirt, options are slim.
The few available? No.12, 24, and 25 — a far cry from the number that defined his Liverpool story.
From youth academy to Champions League nights, No.66 was more than a number — it became part of Trent’s identity. But in Madrid, he’ll have to write a new chapter with new digits.
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