“Different.” That was Jude Bellingham’s one-word reply beneath Trent Alexander-Arnold’s Instagram post on Sunday evening, under the right-back’s own caption “3 points. We keep pushing” from El Sardinero. The exchange, first picked up by TeamTalk, landed hours after Real Madrid’s 3-0 LaLiga win at Racing Santander and a rare start for the England full-back.
The praise mattered more because of who was giving it, and because of where Alexander-Arnold sits in José Mourinho’s pecking order. The 28-year-old had started just five of Real Madrid’s 14 games this season, according to BBC Sport via Yahoo, with Mourinho usually preferring Federico Valverde or summer signing Denzel Dumfries at right-back.
Mourinho hails a “masterclass”
The head coach was no less pleased. Mourinho told reporters afterwards that the right-back had delivered a performance of real quality after a long spell on the sidelines.
“Trent was really good today. He didn’t play in a while and he comes out and drops a masterclass, that’s what happens when a team is confident and trusting each other,” Mourinho said.
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Alexander-Arnold nearly set up a goal inside the opening minutes, only for Arda Güler’s cut-back to curl just wide. He kept Racing’s wide players quiet across the full 90 minutes.
A comfortable afternoon in Santander
Real Madrid were in control from early on. Kylian Mbappé opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 11th minute after Matteo Prati brought him down, Bellingham doubled the lead in the 21st minute by rounding goalkeeper Julen Agirrezabala, and record signing Yan Diomande volleyed in a third before half-time. The result moved Real Madrid to within three points of league leaders Barcelona and ended Racing’s unbeaten home record this season.
Liverpool return ruled out
Away from the match, Alexander-Arnold’s name has been pulled into transfer talk about a possible Liverpool return. Fabrizio Romano used his YouTube channel to shut the speculation down, according to Anfield Index.
“Liverpool never started any kind of concrete or serious conversation to bring Trent Alexander-Arnold back to the club,” Romano said.
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A January move was not something either Alexander-Arnold or Real Madrid were planning, Romano added, with both the player and the club looking to continue together at least to the end of the season.
According to TeamTalk, Alexander-Arnold has also held onto one striking line in the record books this season: every match he has started for Real Madrid or England has ended in a win, a run that now stands at seven victories across club and country.
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