Real Madrid head coach Alvaro Arbeloa spoke to the media ahead of their game against Benfica on Wednesday. He was asked about whether he saw Jose Mourinho’s press conference and what he said about him, to which he said: “Yes, yes, of course. I didn’t miss the manager’s press conference. I didn’t miss them when I was a player and we’d show them all in the locker room… and I didn’t miss them today either. It was a tremendous honor to hear everything he said about me. I’m thrilled and happy because he’s been much more than just a coach to me. Above all, on a personal level, he’s been very important throughout my entire career. Today, I also consider him a great friend. From here, I want to thank him for all his kind words. I’m really looking forward to seeing him tomorrow and giving him a big hug.”
Arbeloa on the match against Benfica
“This is a crucial match for us. We need the three points against a fantastic team. I’ve already warned the players. If we want to win, we have to be fully focused and play at our absolute best for the full 90 minutes. Tomorrow’s match will be extremely challenging.”
Arbeloa on whether Jose Mourinho is a role model for him
“A role model, of course. I said it on the first day: there will never be anyone like Jose. Anyone who tries to imitate him will fail. And I’ve understood that from day one. My success will be being myself. And obviously, within that ‘being Álvaro Arbeloa,’ there’s a significant part of his influence, as well as everything he represented. And I was able to learn from him on a communicative and tactical level. But anyway... here we are. Tomorrow we’ll face each other, and I know he’ll want to win because I know how competitive he is. But so will I. And the most important thing will be those 90 minutes.”
Arbeloa on his relationship with him
“Obviously, we’ve stayed in touch. I won’t lie to you: I know who Mourinho is, I know what his phone must be like. You can understand why he changes his number so often. I’ve tried to ‘bother’ him as little as possible. But he’s one of those friends you can go a long time without speaking to, and then if you call him at 3:00 AM, I’m sure he’d answer. And he’d be there for anything he needed. That’s the kind of relationship I have with Jose. We’ve stayed in touch, but I’ve tried not to be too pushy.”
Arbeloa on his team’s improvement
“I can only speak to the 15 days I’ve been here. Since I arrived, I’ve seen a group of very committed players, willing to listen and work hard. They’re putting what we’ve discussed into practice. And that’s what’s great. We still have a lot of room for improvement, and if we want to achieve everything, we need to be a team that does many things well. That requires hard work and training. But as of today, what the players are doing is truly commendable.”
Arbeloa on Jude Bellingham
“Jude... and I’ll say it right here... it’s not that he was a surprise, but from day one I’ve seen a player with exceptional quality and talent. Something that’s even more surprising up close. But beyond that, I’ve seen a leader. The other day, 48 hours after a match, I told him, ‘I never usually say this, but stop running.’ The performance he’s showing in training, his commitment and leadership... I’m very proud of his level and of having a player like him. On the pitch, he’s capable of so many things: he makes runs into space, he reads the game, he has a great shot. He’s young, but he has a wealth of experience. And he’s going to be the cornerstone of this Real Madrid for many, many years to come.”
Arbeloa on training at the away teams’ stadiums in the Champions League
“Well... you never know if we’ll stop doing it in the future. It’s an option. But this stadium brings back great memories, and being here, feeling the importance of the three points, was important. But I don’t think it’s any better or worse than not doing it.”
Arbeloa on Mourinho hoping that he is enjoying being Real Madrid’s coach
“I feel very responsible given the situation I’m in. This position is meant to be enjoyed; that’s the only way to handle it. To give my all and work as hard as possible. There’s no other way to do things, in any field, than by enjoying them to the fullest. This requires a great deal of dedication and effort. And that’s how the results come.”
Arbeloa on whether he’d like to be Mourinho’s assistant coach if he returned to the club
“I don’t usually talk about hypotheticals. I’m very focused on the present, on tomorrow’s match. On getting the best out of my players. It will be a match I’ll always remember, but only if we win, which is the most important thing.”
Arbeloa on creating a partnership between Kylian Mbappé and Vinicius Jr
“Obviously, relationships on a football pitch are crucial. And they need to be developed. There are players who link up well and find space effectively. They and Bellingham could be the three most unpredictable players in the world. But there are many other areas to explore. The players can move around, interchange positions, and that’s something we need to work on; we’re working on it. With time, we’ll achieve even more.”
Arbeloa on Arda Güler
“Right now, I can talk about what I’m seeing in him: he has tremendous potential, talent, vision, and a great final pass, like switching play. He’s a very young lad with a lot of room for improvement, but he’s working incredibly hard. He finishes matches exhausted from his defensive work rate, but he helps us a lot. We want to take advantage of his talent, which can shine brightest near the midfield or the forwards. In all these situations, he’ll need to keep developing. And when the most demanding matches arrive, he’ll definitely help us. As time goes on, he’ll become a very important player on a global level.”
Arbeloa on other coaches who have had an impact on him
“Look, I’m very grateful to all the coaches I’ve had. From when I was very young, all the way up to Caparrós, whose words I appreciate. He was the first to give me confidence in La Liga, and that led to my move to Liverpool, where I played alongside Benítez, who has also been very important in my career. He was key because he changed my position. But I returned to Real Madrid... and I worked with some truly great coaches like Pellegrini, Rafa, Carlo, Zidane ... and with the national team, Luis, Vicente... I’ve been very lucky because I’ve had some fantastic coaches, very different from each other, but all very successful. And that’s what football teaches you: there isn’t just one way to lead a team or achieve success. They’ve all been excellent leaders, truly great. And all with great ideas and footballing concepts. Often, it seems we want to highlight one aspect of a coach and downplay other qualities. But for me, they’ve all been very well-rounded, very well-prepared. I won’t say being a coach is difficult, but it’s not an easy task either, because it requires doing many things well. And I’ve been lucky enough to have them all.”
Arbeloa on whether he would want Mourinho to return to Real Madrid someday
“As I told your colleague, I don’t like to talk about hypotheticals. What that victory meant here 12 years ago was incredibly meritorious. Like Carlo’s or Zidane’s later on. But Mourinho laid the foundations for those years. I’m here to give my opinion, not to convince anyone; but that’s something I feel. Just as I believe he’s always been valued within the club. And that’s why he was, is, and always will be one of us.”