Due to a little-known La Liga regulation, Trent Alexander-Arnold will not be permitted to wear the number 66 if he completes a deal to Real Madrid in the summer. The Liverpool defender will depart his boyhood club at the end of the current campaign after apparently agreeing to sign a free transfer to the Spanish powerhouses.
Although Alexander-Arnold has worn the numbers 2, 7, 8, and even 10 on the international scene, he has remained with the same squad number that was assigned to him when he initially made his debut in the senior squad after graduating from Merseyside’s academy system. And it turns out that, with 66 scheduled to retire, he could have to use one of those amounts at the club level.
Alexander-Arnold Unable to Wear 66 for Real Madrid
La Liga rules state that squad numbers for first team players can’t go that high
Since all of the competition’s numbers correspond to the maximum number of players that may be registered during the season, La Liga regulations stipulate that the defender cannot wear a number higher than 25 should he decide to join the Santiago Bernabeu. There are a maximum of 25 first-team squad spots available to each Spanish top division team, and if a star is given one, they must wear a number between 1 and 25.
A young player who is not on the squad list but still qualifies to play may wear a number higher than 25, which is why players like rising star Raul Asencio are permitted to wear number 35 on the back of their jersey this season.
For the same reason, Spanish teams are not allowed to retire player shirt numbers, as Barcelona has proposed doing for Lionel Messi. They would be left with one fewer number to utilise if they did this, and if they had a complete squad of twenty-five players, it would mean that one star would be prohibited from participating since their squad number did not comply with league rules.
Barcelona can’t retire the No10 jersey because of LaLiga rules.
25 players in a squad, 25 numbers. If you retire the No10 shirt we will be left with just 24 numbers.
Unlike the EPL, Phil Foden wears 47, it’s not possible in the LaLiga once you’re a first team player. https://t.co/D9eoWPkKIv
— Napaul (@LifeOfNapaul) March 19, 2024
Potential Squad Numbers for Alexander-Arnold at Real Madrid
The majority of numbers are already taken
Alexander-Arnold has only three squad numbers available to him at Madrid at the time of writing, and he has never worn any of them in his career. Although 12 is the lowest number available, it is also the one that is most likely to be taken last. Although there isn’t a set rule, most La Liga teams honour their fans by leaving the number 12 unoccupied. This player is known as the 12th man.
The two highest numbers that remain are 24 and 25. It would seem that 24 is currently the most likely pick, while 25 is frequently saved for the third-choice custodian. Although his contract expires in 2026, current club captain Dani Carvajal, who wears number two, is hoping to recover from a catastrophic injury. Luka Modric’s contract with England ends at the conclusion of this season, but the Croatian midfielder has stated that he wants to remain in the Spanish capital. Alexander-Arnold has previously worn the number 10 for England.
