Tuesday, January 13, 2026, 2:13 p.m.
Álvaro Arbeloa marked territory in his first press conference as the new coach of Real Madrid. The man from Salamanca by birth but by adoption and spirit expressed enthusiasm for the formidable challenge he faces, vindicated the quality of the squad he is in charge of, assured that everyone starts from scratch and recognized the influence that José Mourinho, one of the teachers he most admires, has had on him, but at the same time making it clear that it does not cross his mind to try to emulate the Setúbal strategist. «For me it was a privilege and an honor to be coached by Mourinho. He was a person who had a great influence on me, I carry him within me but I am going to be Álvaro Arbeloa. I am not afraid of failure, but I am sure that if I wanted to be José Mourinho, I would fail miserably,” said the former Castilla coach.
One day after learning of Florentino Pérez’s decision to promote him to the first team to replace his good friend Xabi Alonso, Arbeloa wanted to show that he is ready for the challenge. «I really want to start with a competition in which we risk everything. “I am lucky to have an extraordinary squad,” said the coach before his debut on Wednesday against Albacete in the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey and just leading his first training session in charge of Real Madrid.
A session that was marked by the absence of such important players as Mbappé, Rüdiger, Rodrygo, Militao, Trent and Mendy, as well as by the presence of players that he has had under his aegis at Castilla such as Sergio Mestre, Fran González, Jorge Cestero, César Palacios, David Jiménez, Joan Martínez and Manuel Ángel who may have a leading role with Real Madrid now that whoever was their coach until Monday has become the head of the first team.
«The Real Madrid youth team is the best in the world, we have been proving it for many years. There are La Fábrica players all over the world. I have been lucky enough to be with many players over the years and they have brought me here. They have a great opportunity because the first team coach knows them better than anyone,” Arbeloa warned in a “special” day for a strategist who flaunted his Real Madrid fandom and proclaimed his desire to remain in Chamartín as long as the club wants. “This is my home, that’s how I feel,” he emphasized.
His credo: “Win, win and win again”
Arbeloa, who confirmed that Antonio Pintus will be his right-hand man in terms of physical preparation, assured that he found out about his promotion to the Real Madrid first team on Monday afternoon and acknowledged that he spoke with Xabi Alonso, although he refused to go into details about that conversation with the Gipuzkoan, whom he said he loved “a lot” and whom he wished “the best.” “He is a great coach and he is going to do very well in the future,” he said about his colleague before going on to analyze the challenge that lies ahead.
«We have the whole season ahead of us. We are in a great position in three competitions. That’s the only thing that worries me. Have all the players available and get to know each other. This is a team in which you have to enjoy. Wearing this shield is the best thing that can happen to you in life. We have to have the enthusiasm and ambition to fight for all the titles. “It’s what we want,” said Arbeloa in a speech in which he did not want to pigeonhole himself as a coach or go into tactical details, but in which he made it clear that the most important thing at Real Madrid is, as Luis Aragonés would say, “win, win and win again”, showing the DNA that has led the whites to have “that record of achievements and those showcases full of trophies.”
“We all saw what Vinicius did on Sunday and that is the Vinicius we want to see”
In order to achieve this, Arbeloa made an effort to win over the team from the first moment. «We have not only a great squad, but a group of guys willing to do anything. Let us not forget that there are players here who have six European Cups. Here you can only win through sacrifice and perseverance,” said the new Real Madrid coach, who said he was not worried about egos since, he stressed, “there is no one more interested in winning titles than the players.” «I have told them that the best stage of my life was playing for Madrid, they have to enjoy it. “They are self-demanding,” he defended.
Arbeloa stressed that this is “a new beginning” and maintained that all Real Madrid players start “from scratch” with him, but he stopped at the figure of Vinicius to praise “one of the most unbalanced players in the world.” “We all saw what he did on Sunday and that is the Vinicius we want to see,” he argued in reference to a footballer whose insult to Xabi Alonso in the league classic cut the Basque’s wings.
He also took out his claws when he was questioned about style. «Real Madrid has 123 years of history and it is difficult for them to ever recognize that they have played well. Here there are coaches who have won three Champions Leagues and it seems that afterwards they went home to water the garden. I am very clear about what the fan wants his team to convey. Here we all know that it is very important to win,” he said.
