Trent Alexander-Arnold was punished by the Real Madrid coach, resulting in him being dropped from the starting lineup in the win over Atlético Madrid.
On 23 Mar 2026 GMT+7, major media revealed the reason Trent Alexander-Arnold was excluded from Real Madrid’s starting eleven in their 3-2 away win against "Los Colchoneros" Atlético Madrid, taking their points total to 69 and placing them second in the league table, just four points behind leaders Barcelona.
This marked the second consecutive league match in which Trent was not part of the starting lineup. Previously, he was benched in the game against Elche to allow Álvaro Arbeloa to rest, but he returned to start in Real Madrid’s UEFA Champions League victory over Manchester City.
Everything seemed to be settling well, but the situation worsened when he was left out of England’s 35-player squad on Friday, making it appear unlikely he would be selected for the final World Cup team.
Then on Sunday, Trent was dropped from the starting lineup for the match against Atlético Madrid, with Dani Carvajal chosen to play right-back instead. Trent was brought on as a substitute in the final 15 minutes of the game.
Recently, The Athletic reported that an anonymous source, wishing to maintain relations, confirmed that Trent’s absence from the starting lineup on Sunday was a punishment for arriving late to training.
The right-back entered the match in the 64th minute, and Arbeloa said after the game, “He helped lift the team and injected great energy. I’m very happy the substitute made a difference.”