WATCH: England football star Trent Alexander-Arnold wows fans with fluent Spanish skills at Real Madrid unveiling

ENGLAND star Trent Alexander-Arnold showed off his language skills by speaking fluent Spanish without notes at his Real Madrid unveiling on Thursday.

British footballers have long held a reputation for lacklustre language skills, with the likes of Gareth Bale, David Beckham and Michael Owen famously failing to get to grips with the local lingo once swapping their native homelands for some Spanish sunshine.

But the latest generation of Brits to ply their trade in Spain appear eager to buck the trend.

Alexander-Arnold’s great friend Jude Bellingham wowed onlookers last year by thanking Real supporters in near-perfect Spanish as his side celebrated their La Liga trophy with a parade through the capital.

READ MORE: WATCH: British football star Jude Bellingham shows off his Spanish skills in a post-victory speech alongside his Real Madrid teammates

Alexander-Arnold, 26, spoke for one minute and one second as he was unveiled as a Real Madrid player at the club’s Valdebebas training ground, demonstrating a command of the language that suggests that the right-back has known about his move to the Spanish giants for a while. 

After taking to the stage and wishing the crowd a good afternoon, Alexander-Arnold said: “Thank you Florentino Perez and the club for this opportunity. This doesn’t happen every day.

“It is a dream come true. I am very happy and proud to be here. I want to show Real Madrid fans how I play. I do realise I am signing for Real Madrid and 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 at Madrid.”

READ MORE: Inside Jude Bellingham’s life in Spain: How England star, 21, lives in exclusive ‘footballer’s paradise’ near his Real Madrid training ground – but is often seeing visiting local cafes while keeping a low profile

In typical style, the Liverpudlian ended his speech by shouting ‘Hala Madrid!’, before receiving the rapturous applause of a crowd that included former players, club directors, Alexander-Arnold’s family and his model girlfriend, Estelle Behnke. 

When asked by the press how long he had been learning Spanish, Alexander-Arnold replied: “A few months, a few months.”

The right-back joins Real from his boyhood club Liverpool where he made 354 appearances in all competitions, scoring 27 goals and providing a whopping 96 assists.

Alexander-Arnold’s contract had been due to run out at the end of June, but Los Blancos agreed a €10 million deal that allows the defender to join Xabi Alonso’s squad ahead of this month’s lucrative inaugural Club World Cup in the US. 

The Englishman was hailed as a star by Real Madrid’s flamboyant president, Florentino Perez, who in his opening address said: “26-years-old, a legend in the game, and now he is joining our family.

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“A player who has won everything. One of the best defenders and full-backs in world football who played for one of the most important clubs in the world, Liverpool.

“Dear Trent, welcome to Real Madrid, I would like to thank you for joining our club. We know it means a lot. You could have signed for any club worldwide but you wanted to commit your future to Real Madrid. Our fans will never forget your gesture.”

In a surprise move, Alexander-Arnold has opted to swap his iconic No.66 shirt for No.12. He will also have ‘Trent’ on his back, rather than Alexander-Arnold, citing confusion on the continent about English double-barrelled surnames.

Real’s latest signing could make his debut next Wednesday in Los Blancos’ opening game of the Club World Cup against Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal in Miami.