“It’ll be very hard to win the Ballon d’Or with the players on this team” - Trent Alexander-Arnold delivers verdict on Real Madrid teammates
Trent Alexander-Arnold has opined that it will be difficult for him to win the Ballon d'Or because of his Real Madrid teammates. He praised the quality of the team and said he was just happy to be a part of it. The Englishman joined Los Blancos from Liverpool on June 1.
Speaking at his unveiling on Thursday (June 12), Trent Alexander-Arnold said (via Madrid Xtra's X handle):
"It will be very hard to win the Ballon d'Or with the players on this team (laughs). I'm just happy I'll play with them and not against them."
In 2024, the 26-year-old revealed his dream of becoming the first full-back to win the Ballon d'Or in football history. He told Sky Sports (via BBC):
"I believe I can. I want to be the first full-back to ever do it. It's only the morning after you retire that you're able to look in the mirror and say, 'I gave it everything I got.' It doesn't matter how many trophies you win, or how many medals you've got. It matters what you give to the game and if you reach your full potential."
Only three defenders have won the Ballon d'Or in history. Fabio Cannavaro was the last to win it in 2006, after Matthias Sammer in 1996 and Franz Beckenbauer in 1972 and 1976.
Former Real Madrid striker warns Trent Alexander-Arnold about his Ballon d'Or dream
Fernando Morientes has warned Trent Alexander-Arnold that his Ballon d'Or dream was 'almost impossible.' The former Real Madrid and Liverpool striker opined that defenders are unlikely to win the France Football award, as forwards and midfielders are preferred by the voters.
He was talking to CasinoHawks (via GOAL) earlier this year when he said:
"Using what I know historically about the Ballon d'Or, I see that as very complicated. If Trent Alexander-Arnold has an exceptional season in every sense, it means he's attacking a lot, that he'll score a lot of goals. But if he scores a lot of goals, then Kylian Mbappe will score a lot of goals, Jude Bellingham will score a lot of goals, Vinicius will score a lot of goals."
He added:
"It seems to me that this Ballon d'Or is designed for midfielders and attackers. Very rarely do we see defenders or goalkeepers. In fact, Fabio Cannavaro comes to mind in our time and little else, and everything else is scoring midfielders and forwards or exceptional players. Can Alexander Arnold win the Ballon d'Or at Real Madrid? Yes. Is it very difficult? It is very difficult. I see it as almost impossible, but it's good that he comes with those expectations. This means he has very high ambitions."
Trent Alexander-Arnold joined Real Madrid this summer after running down his contract at Liverpool. Los Blancos have paid a £10 million fee to sign him a month earlier to take the Englishman to the FIFA Club World Cup.