Real Madrid star right back Trent Alexander-Arnold began to show the extent of his quality towards the end of the 2025/26 La Liga season, but Thomas Tuchel still did not have him in the England national team squad, snubbing one of the country's most talented players out of the 2026 World Cup despite consternation through all corners of the media, including rival contingents like former Manchester United players.
Tuchel's decision did not age well as Reece James went down injured and England struggled to find that quality ball into the box for the likes of Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane, who had tremendous tournaments as scorers in spite of the fact that only a burned out Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice looked capable of creating a good volume of chances.
But while Tuchel's snub was a personal affront to Trent and a decision that hurt the England national team, Real Madrid stand to benefit greatly. Because not only did Trent get extra rest this summer, but he has come back to Real Madrid with an additional chip on his shoulder beyond the one of trying to impress legendary manager Jose Mourinho and a swarm of demanding Madridistas after his big 2025 transfer that did not lead to any trophies for the Merengues.
Trent Alexander-Arnold is ready to roll
Real Madrid also signed another world class right back in Denzel Dumfries from Serie A champions Inter Milan. So the deck is stacked for Trent Alexander-Arnold to make an emphatic statement, but it all goes back to that original insult from Thomas Tuchel to begin the summer.
Trent looks like a totally different man to the one who arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu. Not only is he more settled and more confident, but he looks more determined and a little bit ticked off at the world. And that is exactly how Real Madrid fans want their players to be: Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos, Toni Kroos, and a lot of the legends of the past had that vibe about them.
So if Real Madrid win titles again under Jose Mourinho at the end of the season and Trent has double digit assists finding the feet and heads of the likes of Carlos Espi, Yan Diomande, and Kylian Mbappe, then Real Madrid should tell Jude Bellingham to send Tuchel a "Thank You" card on behalf of Trent and the Madridistas. Because there is no greater gift than the gift of motivation - and Trent has plenty of it now.
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