Can Trent Alexander-Arnold win Ballon d'Or if he joins Real Madrid? Ex-Liverpool star Didi Hamann gives his take

Former Liverpool midfielder Didi Hamann has cast doubt on the possibility of Trent Alexander-Arnold winning the Ballon d’Or, even if he secures a high-profile move to Real Madrid.

Hamann believes Arnold’s position as a right-back makes it extremely difficult for him to claim football’s most prestigious individual award.

Recent reports have claimed that Alexander-Arnold is close to joining Real Madrid at the end of the season. The Spanish giants have been monitoring the defender’s situation since last year, with his contract set to expire at the end of the season.

With the potential move to the Spanish capital now seeming imminent for Arnold, Hamann has sounded a harsh fact to the defender.

Hamann told CardPlayer.com (via DAZN):

“I do not know how Trent Alexander-Arnold could win the Ballon d’Or as a right-back. Fabio Cannavaro won it as a defender but it’s near enough impossible. Joining Real Madrid won’t harm his chances, he’ll be competing to win the Champions League every year, the spotlight will be on him more. But if winning the Ballon d’Or is the reason that he wants to join Real Madrid, he should forget it and stay at Liverpool.”

Arnold grew through the ranks at Liverpool and was promoted to the senior team in 2016. So far, he has scored 22 goals and provided 87 assists for the Merseyside club in 349 appearances across competitions.

"Maybe that hasn’t been the case yet"- Didi Hamann says Liverpool fans deserve to know the truth about Trent Alexander-Arnold

In the same interview, Hamann opined that the Reds supporters are supposed to know the truth about Arnold’s future at Anfield. Before now, Arnold has remained cagey about the long-term future, insisting on wanting to win trophies with the Reds this season.

Didi Hamann told Card Player (via Liverpool.com):

"I thought the contract wasn’t spoken about in public because Liverpool was winning games, but now they are in a very strong position to win the league and I think something will be said after the international break.

"If a decision has been made, I think the fans deserve to know. They could also then give him a great send off during the final nine games of the season in a swansong. I think the fans deserve to know if a decision has officially been made, maybe that hasn’t been the case yet, but the club are running out of time."

Real Madrid has been hot on Arnold’s heels since last year. They reportedly made a bid for the defender in the January transfer window, but their offer was rejected by the Merseyside club.