Trent Alexander-Arnold told to forget about Ballon d'Or dream at Real Madrid by ex-Bernabeu star
You have to be grounded in reality.
Trent Alexander-Arnold will be leaving preparing Liverpool this summer as his contract runs out, with Real Madrid ready to pay a small fee to sign him early.
The 26-year-old right-back, who has already won every major honour at Anfield, is eyeing a fresh challenge and has his sights set on the prestigious Ballon d'Or.
However, former Madrid and Liverpool striker Fernando Morientes has warned that such an ambition may be unrealistic.
He said: "Using what I know historically about the Ballon d'Or, I see that as very complicated. If Trent 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. 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."
