Madrid: Fabinho’s private chat with Real Madrid president Florentino Perez after Liverpool clash

Fabinho expressed his sympathies for Trent Alexander-Arnold in an impromptu chat with Real Madrid president Florentino Perez.

The Liverpool midfielder was seen talking to Perez following Los Blancos’ 3-1 win in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final.

The Brazilian spent a brief time at the Bernabeu at the start of his career, making 30 appearances for the Castilla side and just one for the senior team.

But he has retained a relationship with the 74-year-old and that was on display after the game at the Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium.

According to Marca, Perez told Fabinho: “With us, you played as a right-back!”

And the former Monaco man admitted that he would have struggled in that position, much like Alexander-Arnold did.

“Yes, but to play right-back now… What a player you have in Vinicius,” he joked.

Fabinho started the game in midfield, despite spending much of the season in the center of Liverpool’s defense.

Alongside the 27-year-old, Jurgen Klopp opted to start Gini Wijnaldum and Naby Keita, with the latter a surprise inclusion over Thiago Alcantara.

That was a move that backfired during their first-half struggles, forcing Klopp to admit to his mistakes and haul him off before the break.

Asked about that change, the Liverpool boss admitted he didn’t want it to make it a story but had to make it with the midfielder struggling to get a foothold in the game.

“I know it’s now a big story and I don’t like it anymore, to be honest,” he told BT Sport.

“But it was just Naby was not in the game, he was not the only one, but we need Naby in the game where he’s part of playing football.

“It was tactical, let me say it like this, but I could have done a few more changes at that moment, and thank god I didn’t.”

Perez meanwhile is set to discover whether he will once again run unopposed for the top job at the Spanish giants.

He has recently called for an election as he looks to win a fifth term in office. Perez had won the last two without competition, but that could be different this time, with 32-year-old Enrique Riquelme prepared to throw his hat in the ring.

Riquelme, who is the CEO of Cox Energy, has big plans for Real and has promised to replace Zidane with Jurgen Klopp, should he come out victorious.