Trent Alexander-Arnold reveals exactly when he began learning Spanish ahead of blockbuster summer move to Real Madrid

Addressing an audience which included Real club president Florentino Perez, Alexander-Arnold surprised football fans around the world when - in Spanish - he said it was a "dream come true" to switch to the Santiago Bernabeu.

"Thank you so much to president Florentino Perez and Real Madrid for this opportunity," he said. "Signing for a club like Real Madrid doesn't happen every day. It's a dream come true. I'm very happy and proud to be here. I'm eager to show the club and the fans what I can do.

"I want to show them what I can do, I want to win many titles, be champions, and continue to grow and enjoy football with the best in the world."

Having displayed such an exemplary grasp of the language, many were left wondering just how long Alexander-Arnold had been planning to move to Real for, before the deal was confirmed. The 27-year-old announced he was leaving Liverpool upon the expiration of his contract in May, but Real later paid the Reds a fee to release him early so he could represent them at the Club World Cup.

Confirming his decision to leave Liverpool, Alexander-Arnold said in a video on social media: "After 20 years at Liverpool Football Club, now is the time for me to confirm that I will be leaving at the end of the season. This is easily the hardest decision I’ve ever made in my life.

"I’ve been blessed enough to live out my dreams here and I will never, ever take for granted the special moments I’ve been fortunate enough to have lived through with you all. My love for this club will never die."

In a video on Instagram, Alexander-Arnold’s Spanish teacher, Sara Duque, has since revealed that the defender has been studying the language for five months, meaning - if correct - he only started learning on May 30 and not before he had announced his departure from Liverpool.

Writing on social media, Duque said: "5 months. That’s all it took, but it wasn’t easy.

"Trent didn’t just learn Spanish. He chose to start from zero, to sound imperfect, to keep showing up, day by day.

"When he stood on that stage in Madrid and spoke with calm, clarity, and heart, it wasn’t about fluency. It was about respect, courage, and a genuine desire to belong.

"As his language coach, that moment meant everything. Because what I saw wasn’t just a player speaking another language, it was a person growing beyond himself.

"In football, words can build trust, connection, identity. And this is what true professionalism really looks like."

Displaying his fluency in Spanish once again, Alexander-Arnold lifted the lid on his experience learning the language, saying in the accompanying video on Instagram: "Hi, I'm Trent. I started learning Spanish with Sara five months ago. 

"I didn't speak any Spanish before. I wanted to learn Spanish to communicate better with my team-mates, my coach and the Madrid fans - and adapt better to the culture.

"I really like the lessons because they were very football-based. The terminology we were learning about was press conferences, interviews and vocabulary that I would need to talk to my team-mates on a day-to-day basis within the club. 

"This helped me very, very much and I really enjoyed every lesson."

The news that Alexander-Arnold has been learning Spanish for five months arrives ahead of his return to Liverpool in the Champions League on Tuesday. The Reds academy graduate could receive a frosty reception from the Anfield crowd as his manager, Xabi Alonso, also prepares for an emotional return to Merseyside. Real boss Alonso represented Liverpool as a player between 2004 and 2009.