Why Trent Alexander-Arnold wears No.66 finally explained

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Some players throughout history have numbers that are associated with them – examples for Liverpool would be Jamie Carragher and 23, the less successful Martin Skrtel and 37, and arguably Steven Gerrard and 8.

It’s more often the unusual numbers that attach themselves to any one player, with players like striker Asamoah Gyan (2) and defender William Gallas (10) making some surprising choices in their careers.

There is one member of Liverpool’s squad who dons an unusual number, and that’s full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, but the No.66 shirt is rooted in the young Scouser’s humble beginnings.

When we get any young lads that come down from the Academy, we always deliberately try to give them a high-ish number,” the club’s kit management coordinator Lee Radcliffe told Liverpoolfc.com.

We don’t like to give them a low number in case they sort of think they’ve made it straight away, if you know what I mean.

You pick it out because it’s a free number and it’s around that sort of number you think, ‘We’ll give that out because he’s only just come down’.

When you see him now lifting trophies and celebrating with No.66 on the back, it’s a weird feeling and I can’t really describe it. It’s weird to see such a high number and for someone to be happy with it!

Someone like Trent has just been happy to be around the first team and obviously doesn’t realise how good he is. He doesn’t really ask for anything, to be honest.

I think he’s that laidback that he’s obviously been given the number and thought, ‘Yeah, that’ll do me. I’ll keep that’, and not realised how iconic it’s become over the years.

There was always question marks over Trent’s shirt number for fans, but now they’ve been answered – it was a non-specific choice to keep the lad grounded.

No.66 had no meaning, but having now donned the number for a few years, and winning some of football’s highest honours wearing it, Trent may opt to keep it throughout his career.

Right-backs tend to go for No.2 when they can tie down a regular starting place in their team, a number occupied by Nathaniel Clyne at Liverpool, but Trent has seemingly not wanted to budge from 66.

For the national team, and various youth squads, Trent has worn 2, 12 and 6 – among others – these numbers are likely to become available at some point in his career so he’ll have the chance to change from 66.

But we hope he keeps his old-school number – we like the story behind it, and it could become even more synonymous with Trent than it already is.

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