In the first round of the 2025 Club World Cup Group H, La Liga giants Real Madrid scored a goal with Gonzalo Garcia, but conceded a penalty kick later, and finally tied with Al-Hilal 1-1. Arnold, who played for Real Madrid for the first time, said it was a great feeling and believed that the team would improve before the next game.

In the 34th minute, Rodrigo made a diagonal pass to the penalty area, and Gonzalo Garcia seized the opportunity without any defense and shot the ball into the goal, helping Real Madrid take the lead 1-0.

In the 41st minute, Asensio pulled down Marcos Leonardo while competing for the ball, so the referee awarded a penalty to Al-Hilal. Ruben Neves then scored from the penalty spot, helping Al-Hilal to tie the score at 1-1.

In the 88th minute, Real Madrid was awarded a penalty kick, but Valverde's penalty kick was blocked by Al-Hilal goalkeeper Bounou. In the end, Real Madrid could only draw with Al-Hilal 1-1.

Arnold, who started the game, said, "It feels incredible to make my debut, and playing for Real Madrid is everyone's dream, although we didn't win the game, which is a bit disappointing. Real Madrid's mentality is to strive for every victory, but there are still many positive things in this game, especially the performance in the second half."

"We had more control of the ball in the second half, which was something we lacked in the first half. When you have more possession, you can force the opponent to run more. We have indeed improved in this regard and put more defensive pressure on the opponent and threatened their penalty area more frequently. As for the missed penalty, this is part of football and cannot be blamed on anyone. The team still has many aspects to improve, and I believe the team will make progress before the next game."

In addition, Arnold also said, "From the moment I signed, I could feel the support of the fans. There are Real Madrid fans all over the world. This support can be seen everywhere in the hotel we stay in, at the training ground and on social media. We are really grateful. I have learned Spanish for a few months. After I knew I was coming here, I started learning it. This is to help me better adapt to the new environment."

"That's important to me, a new country, a new team and a new city, it's important to show willingness to integrate into this culture, and I'm working hard in this direction."

On the other hand, Real Madrid will face Pachuca in the next round and Red Bull Salzburg in the third round.