'I'm proud to make my Champions League debut'
Liverpool midfielder James McConnell, speaking to TNT Sports: "Disappointed we didn't win the game but we topped the group thanks to the performance in the rest of the season."I'm proud to make my Champions League debut. I'm grateful for the opportunity. I loved playing in this atmosphere."The team was a bit makeshift at times with lads slotting in all over the place but we feel we should have won the game."
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The Sun
21 minutes ago
- The Sun
Trent Alexander-Arnold reveals he's been ‘waiting a long time' to join Real Madrid, then issues immediate clarification
TRENT ALEXANDER-ARNOLD quickly corrected himself after letting slip he had been "waiting a long time" to join Real Madrid. The defender was announced as a Real Madrid player after the Spanish giants stumped up £10million to sign him early from Liverpool. Alexander-Arnold revealed his excitement at putting pen to paper on what he described as a "proud day". But he also dropped a clanger after suggesting he had been waiting a long time to become a Real player. He said at a press conference: "Very, very exciting for me. A day I've been waiting a long time for now. "Very excited, very happy, very proud to be here. It's a dream to be here but there's still a lot of hard work to do and I'm excited to get started straight away. It's an exciting time for me." The England star quickly corrected that statement, clarifying he meant he has only been waiting a few weeks for his switch to the Bernbeu. He added: "To clear that up, by waiting a long time I mean a couple of weeks. Not years. "But I am very excited be here. Whether you support the club or not, you have to respect the trophies that the club win. "No matter what, that has been always there for me. I have always admired players and clubs that win trophies." Alexander-Arnold, 26, showed off his fluent Spanish at his Real Madrid unveiling. His short speech left fans stunned and won him applause from those who gathered at the event. He said in Spanish: "Good afternoon. Thank you to (club president) Florentino Perez and the club for this opportunity. "This doesn't happen every day, it's a dream come true. "I'm very happy and proud to be here. I want to show Real Madrid fans how I play. "I realise that I am signing for Real Madrid and that the demands are high but I am going to give my all for the team and Real Madrid fans. "I want to show those fans how I play, I want to win many titles, I want to be a winner here and enjoy playing alongside the best players in the world. Hala Madrid."
The Independent
30 minutes ago
- The Independent
Real Madrid was the only team I'd leave Liverpool for – Trent Alexander-Arnold
Trent Alexander-Arnold admitted Real Madrid was the only team he would have left boyhood club Liverpool for and was comfortable he made the right decision. The 26-year-old, who has signed a six-year deal after Real paid £8.5million to release him from a contract expiring this month, rejected suggestions he had been heavily influenced by close friend and England team-mate Jude Bellingham. He also denied he had been orchestrating the move for a long time but impressing president Florentino Perez and assembled club dignitaries by surprisingly addressing them in Spanish did nothing to calm the anger a significant section of the fanbase have felt about the way he handled his exit after 20 years at Liverpool. 'To be honest, it was never a question of where, it was whether to go or not to go but I always knew, I've probably known it for a long time, if I was ever to leave Liverpool, it would only be to go Real Madrid, that would be the only club for me,' said Alexander-Arnold, who told a press conference he had been learning Spanish 'for a few months'. 'Then it gets to a point where you have to make a decision whether to go or stay and making that decision was not an easy decision because I'd been there so long, but eventually you have to make a decision and in my mind, I've made the right one.' On Bellingham's supposed influence, he added: 'It wasn't exactly what people think it was but we spoke a lot about Liverpool and Real Madrid, that's the conversations you have as players and friends. 'A lot of people think he played a huge part in me coming here but the club speaks for itself. It was a huge opportunity for me – it felt like it was the right time.' Alexander-Arnold had to quickly correct himself after initially saying he had been 'waiting a long time' for this day, explaining: 'By waiting a long time, I mean by a couple of weeks, not years. 'If I'm honest it's not something you dream of as it's out of reach and out of reality for a lot of players, there are only a handful of players who have been able to represent this club,' he said. 'When I was younger I wasn't exactly thinking I would be here today, I was just thinking about learning about how I could be the best footballer I could be. 'It's a dream to be here but there is still a lot of hard work to do. I'm excited to get started right away.' Alexander-Arnold, wearing a black suit and tie, sat next to girlfriend Estelle Behnke as a video montage was played of his best moments at Liverpool, inevitably featuring his two assists in the 4-0 Champions League semi-final comeback against Real's arch-rivals Barcelona. His mum Dianne sat alongside his dad Michael and brothers Tyler – his agent – and Marcell and could be seen wiping away tears as the video concluded. Real president Florentino Perez described Alexander-Arnold as 'a player who has won everything, one of the best defenders and full-backs in world football. One on the greatest players worldwide is joining this club and hopefully we can write a new page in the history books'. That starts in the United States later this month at the Club World Cup, which is the reason Real paid Liverpool to release the right-back from his contract early. 'I grew up watching this club win three Champions League in row so I'm no stranger to seeing Real Madrid winning trophies,' said the former Liverpool academy graduate, who will wear 'Trent' on the back of his number 12 shirt to avoid the confusion European fans have had with his double-barrelled surname. 'A big part of why I joined was to be a big part of the success going forward. 'I'm joining a young team with a lot of potential with the mindset to win trophies. We go to America for the Club World Cup and our ambition is to win that trophy too. I'm looking for a great start.'
Daily Mirror
37 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Players' union outlines new 12-point plan amid FIFA Club World Cup backlash
The inaugural Club World Cup is set to kick off this weekend and there has been outcry over the amount of tournaments players are having to feature in. Now FIFPRO want big changes to be introduced that will protect stars from burnout Players' union bosses have put forward a 12 point plan to 'safeguard' footballers. FIFPRO are demanding significant changes to the current set-up and have done a comprehensive report involving 70 medical and performance experts. It comes after huge rows involving players getting injured, suffering fatigue and also a huge backlash over players going to the Club World Cup. Manchester City and Chelsea are both at the tournament in the United States which stages the final on July 13 by which time other Premier League teams have had a holiday and are back in pre-season training. City midfielder Rodri warned football is at 'breaking point' while other powerful voices have said players are not being listened to. England boss Thomas Tuchel has even warned that Liverpool and Arsenal have a "huge advantage" in next season's title race as they are not at the Club World Cup. READ MORE: Andy Robertson admits uncertainty over Liverpool future with Milos Kerkez transfer close The 12 point plan says: Off season break - minimum of four weeks' rest between seasons Black out - the break must include two weeks with no contact with club or national team Pre-season - must be minimum of four week training Monitoring - clubs must give players option of wellness program in break Rest and recovery - must be minimum of two days between games Injury recovery - player must be cleared by doctor before resuming training Day off - players must have mandatory one day off each week Mid-season break - must be one week off mid-season each year Travel - must be taken into account when scheduling fixtures Travel rules - must be recovery after long haul flights Young player safeguards - must be workload restrictions on under-18s Safeguards on players under-21s FIFPRO says the Delphi process, conducted in collaboration with FIFPRO's High-Performance Advisory Network, is the most extensive expert consensus ever achieved on safeguards against excessive workload. They say over 75 per cent is needed from players for agreement to be rubber stamped amongst participants to establish each recommendation. Dr. Vincent Gouttebarge, FIFPRO Medical Director, said: 'This study presents safety standards based on the considered and independent opinions of medical and performance experts working in professional football who understand the mental and physical strain placed on players. "If we can all agree that health comes first, then we should take steps to implement these safeguards.' Darren Burgess of FIFPRO added: 'Decoding the human body, performance, and sport-related injuries will be a lifelong scientific exercise for all of us. "However, the results of this study show that there are certain minimum standards such as adequate rest between matches, and proper off-season breaks, that are common sense, aligned with scientific evidence and, above all, required by global occupational health and safety standards." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
