Trent Alexander Arnold, the Reds right back who provided the assist for the famous Corner Taken Quickly, is currently the top fullback in the world. He has evolved into one of the best fullbacks in modern football after spending several years in Liverpool’s first squad and earning Jurgen Klopp’s trust. But it’s his shirt number that most Liverpool and football fans are surprised by. We at Alley Sport provide you with the answer to the query Why is Trent number 66?
Certain numbers have become connected with specific roles and types of players since the introduction of squad numbers for players.
For example, a playmaker like Diego Maradona or Lionel Messi, the No. 10 is usually a creative pivot point for a squad. The No. 9 position has come to represent an out-and-out center-forward, while the No. 1 position is normally reserved for the goalie.
Individual players have built brands around their squad numbers as the sport has become more commercialised, with Cristiano Ronaldo’s ‘CR7’ empire arguably the clearest illustration of this phenomena.
Wearing a number from 1 to 11 indicates your status, and the greater the number, the further you are from the first team.
Of course, there are exceptions to that hazy unwritten rule, and Trent Alexander-Arnold is one of the most noteworthy ones in the Premier League today. Since breaking into the first squad in 2016-17, the full-back has worn No. 66 for Liverpool, and despite being the first-choice right-back, he has kept the number.
Why is Trent number 66?
The No. 66 has no apparent personal significance for Alexander Arnold, and the only reason he continues to wear it is that he has never bothered to have it altered.
The England international is too “laidback,” according to Liverpool’s kit management coordinator, Lee Radcliffe, to be concerned about getting a lower squad number.
In 2020, Radcliffe told Liverpool’s official website, “When we get any new players that come down from the academy, we usually want to give them a high-ish number.”
“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 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.”
The unusual number has proven quite popular among Liverpool fans when purchasing replica jerseys, thanks, of course, to Alexander-Arnold’s success as a local lad coming through the ranks.
And Radcliffe believes that it has become “iconic”, with the full-back playing a crucial role in Liverpool’s recent Champions League and Premier League triumphs.
“I think it’s a number quite close to a lot of fans’ hearts now, as well as staff, because it’s a local lad that’s come through,” he explained.
“The amount of kids you see walking around in a ’66’, it’s weird that it’s actually stuck. It was one of them that you give out and expect a year later that it’ll get passed on to someone else.”
Alexander-Arnold said in 2020, in response to a fan’s question on Twitter, that he wasn’t sure if he’d keep the No. 66 shirt, thus his number could change in the future.
In the early days of his breakthrough at Anfield, he seemed to be somewhat devoted to the number, signing social messages with ‘#66,’ but it is no longer a prominent aspect of his online activity.
While the No. 2 jersey became available with Nathaniel Clyne’s departure from Liverpool in 2020, it’s possible that Alexander-Arnold will stick with 66 because of how legendary it has become, as Radcliffe suggests.
Footballers may be a superstitious bunch, so it’s possible he’ll believe the number is a fortunate charm of some sort, and that changing it will result in a dip in fortunes.
It is not uncommon for players to identify specific numbers with their accomplishments.
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