2 weeks ago
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Trent Alexander-Arnold has been handed a new BMW, following a virtual ban on driving his £130,000 ($174,000) Range Rover to Real Madrid's training ground.
The former Premier League defender inked a six-year contract with Los Blancos in the summer after parting ways with his childhood club Liverpool. Alexander-Arnold is set to return to Merseyside next month when Madrid faces the Reds in the Champions League at Anfield.
Since his move, Alexander-Arnold has found it challenging to adjust to life at the Santiago Bernabeu. Initially, this was due to competition from Madrid stalwart Dani Carvajal, and subsequently, a hamstring injury that has sidelined him since September.
Another adjustment for the right-back has been swapping out the car model he had been using daily in the UK.
One of his preferred vehicles had been a Range Rover P530, a £130,000 SUV equipped with a 4.4 V8 twin-turbo engine that delivered 530 horsepower and a maximum torque of 750 Nm.
With an eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel-drive system, it could propel its more than 2.5 tonnes from 0 to 100km/h in 2.6 seconds and reach a top speed of 155mph.
However, since donning the all-white kit, Madrid's sponsorship agreement with BMW has prohibited Alexander-Arnold from driving any other brand of car for club-related transport, such as arriving at the training ground.
Instead, the German car manufacturer provides Madrid players, including the women's team and basketball team, with new cars to use throughout each season.
The agreement only encompasses plug-in hybrid and electric models, which BMW later markets as pre-owned vehicles.
It remains a mystery which model Alexander-Arnold selected for his initial months in Madrid, but it's reported that he and his colleagues have now received their new BMWs for the 2025-26 season.
Given the freedom to select from the entire range of the German manufacturer, the majority of Real's Galacticos chose the electric i7 limousine - divided between the two available versions - and the plug-in hybrid XM SUV, both priced well above €100,000 ($116,200).
Manager Xabi Alonso, Carvajal, Vinicius Junior, and star player Kylian Mbappe opted for the former. On the other hand, Jude Bellingham, Federico Valverde, Rodrygo, and Thibaut Courtois went for the latter.
However, Alexander-Arnold made a less common choice with the electric iX60 with 408 hp.
Also chosen by Eduardo Camavinga, it happens to be the least powerful car in the selection, but still commands a starting price of around $125,000 in the United States.
English (US) ·