Real Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa has confirmed an open secret that he would be leaving the club after their final game of the season against Athletic Club on Saturday night. Interestingly, Arbeloa admitted that his decision-making was not always his own, prioritising the club first and foremost.
Arbeloa’s future was one of the main talking points, with Jose Mourinho expected to replace him next week, depending on whether President Florentino Perez faces a challenge in the elections.
“I hope it’s just a ‘see you later.’ I’ve always considered Real Madrid my home. I’ve been with Real Madrid for 20 years; it’s my home. This is my last match this season, and I don’t know if it will be the last of my career as Real Madrid manager – we never really know. I’ll try to enjoy it. And I’m focused on winning,” he said, later confirming he would be leaving.
Arbeloa: “Tried to do best way for the club, not my way”
Another of the key talking points was his relationship with the players, with several falling outs becoming public knowledge during the course of his four-month tenure. Arbeloa expressed no bitterness towards those players, but did reveal that his decision-making had been impacted by the club.
“I’m very grateful to them for what we’ve been through. I’m aware that at 25, you can’t have the same relationship. We’ve had differences, that’s normal. We’ve resolved them in the best way possible. We’ve shown each other respect, and the opportunity came when it came. For me, what’s always important is how you deal with it, with what happens to you. And I’ve dealt with it in the best way possible, thinking about Real Madrid.”
“I’ve thought more about Real Madrid than myself these past few months, but I’ve done what’s best for the club. I wasn’t the same I was all these years in the academy. At another club, it would have been different, but it was what I had to do. There’s no room for regrets.”
“I get along great with almost everyone,” he later added, making it clear that there were exceptions.
He later doubled down on that idea, explaining that he could not do things his way. Asked at what points he would have done things differently, Arbeloa didn’t want to get specific.
“A lot (laughs). I know the state of the team when I arrived. I know what I’ve had to face. If I had started from the beginning, it would have been different. But this is what I’ve been dealt, and I’ve tried to do my best. Not my way, but the best way possible. We’ve done many things well, and I’m happy with what we’ve accomplished.”
When asked directly if he his decision-making had been altered from above, Arbeloa then backed away from making a bolder statement, saying “I’m not going in that direction, nor for that reading. No-one from the club intervened, simply that I had to think of the club first.”
‘I hope I can return some day’ – Alvaro Arbeloa
Arbeloa, who seemed somewhat melancholy in his final pre-match press conference.
“Almost all of them have helped me grow as a coach and as a person. I’ve had relationships with everyone, we’ve had conversations, sometimes we agreed, sometimes we didn’t. The good thing is that I’ve been where they are, I’ve been through those situations, I understand them. Often, their perspective is different from that of a coach.”
“It’s easier for me to put myself in their shoes than it is for them to put themselves in mine. I leave with immense gratitude; they’ve made me a better person, they’ve made me enjoy every day. I’m very grateful to the club for the opportunity, I leave grateful after these eight years, leaving behind many friends. I hope I can return someday.”
‘No chance I could be part of Mourinho staff’
With Mourinho reportedly keen to bring in a former Real Madrid player as part of his backroom staff, it had been suggested that Arbeloa could end up as part of his coaching team. Yet Arbeloa dismissed that idea.
“I’m not here to talk about possibilities. Mourinho has a fantastic coaching staff; he’s very well supported. If he comes, he’ll come with his own people, as it should be. There’s absolutely no chance I could be with him. I’ve spent these last four months thinking about Real Madrid; from now on, it’s time to think about myself. I’ve taken the leap, and I feel ready for new challenges.”
Arbeloa will manage his final game at 21:00 CEST at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday night against Athletic. It will also see the Bernabeu pay homage to Dani Carvajal in his final game.
