Arbeloa talks Vinicius, Mourinho, Mbappe, Trent, Bellingham, racism ahead of Osasuna vs Real Madrid | OneFootball

Real Madrid will be back in action on Saturday night when they take on CA Osasuna at El Sadar on Matchday 25 of 2025/26 La Liga.

The Merengues go into the game on the back of a 1-0 win over SL Benfica in the UEFA Champions League – a game that was marred by the alleged racist abuse against Vinicius Jr. by opposition player Gianluca Prestianni.

Amidst all the noise surrounding the incident, Real Madrid will be hoping to extend their lead at the top of the La Liga table to five points and put pressure on Barcelona, who play Levante on Sunday afternoon.

Ahead of the game, Los Blancos boss Alvaro Arbeloa spoke to the media, discussing several topics, including the racism incident at Estadio da Luz.

Kicking things off, though, the former defender acknowledged the challenge of facing Osasuna in their homeground, saying:

“They haven’t lost at home in two months, a team in great form. We all know how difficult El Sadar is for Real Madrid; I’ve only won there once. We’re very aware of the tough battle ahead.

“We’re going to prepare in the best way possible; these are three very important points.” 

Arbeloa then gave an insight into Vinicius’ mindset after the events of Tuesday night, saying:

“He’s been sad, like everyone else, and very indignant. It’s a racist act that we don’t want to see happen again; it has no place in our sport. We have a huge opportunity to make sure this doesn’t go unpunished.” 

Condemning the act, he added: “I think I’ve made myself clear, the important thing is to fight against these acts. It’s unacceptable. We won’t allow it or tolerate it.

“They’ll find us standing against it. I want to be clear, especially when it involves a fellow professional. Nothing justifies what happened.” 

Arbeloa fully in support of Vinicius. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

Talking about the Brazilian international’s recent form and attitude, Arbeloa remarked:

“Vinicius is deciding matches, scoring amazing goals, carrying the team on his back… And he’s not afraid. He can go through situations like the other day and still come back on the pitch.

“We all receive insults, unfortunately, but I’ve never been insulted because of my skin color. I don’t know if I’d be able to go back on the pitch like he did. We’re going to be by his side, defending him.”

On being asked if he was disappointed by the comments made by Jose Mourinho after the game, where he seemed to point fingers at Vinicius for what happened.

“Everyone saw what happened, we were all watching the game. That’s what’s really important, we can’t change the subject. We have a great opportunity ahead of us,” he said.

When further probed about how he felt about Vinicius being blamed and the recent comments made by Vincent Kompany lashing out at Mourinho for his statements, he added:

“I don’t like to comment on what others think, not Kompany, not Mou, not anyone. Everyone is free to have their opinion, and I’m giving mine.

“Vini scored a fantastic goal and celebrated it as we’ve seen hundreds of times, with many players regardless of their background. We can’t portray the victim as the provocateur. I repeat: nothing Vini has done justifies a racist act.” 

On possible sanctions for the Benfica player, he remarked: “Now it’s in UEFA’s hands. Now it’s time to show that it’s not just talk; they’ve been doing a good job at this for years.”

Arbeloa also spoke in detail about Kylian Mbappe’s form as well as the recent improvement of the team across all departments, saying:

“Mbappé’s knee is much better; it hasn’t completely healed, but he feels much better. We’ve made great progress these past few weeks, but I’m just as calm as I was when there was criticism. We’re aware of the club’s high expectations.

“We want to keep improving. The league season is long, and a lot can happen. We don’t want to relax; to win everything, we have to give 100%. We can’t let up if we want to win.”

Trent has been impressive since returning. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

Talking about the impact of Trent Alexander-Arnold since his return from injury, the manager noted:

“It’s obvious, his precision and the way he passes; he doesn’t need much space or time. He always gives the forwards an advantage, he makes Mbappe and Vini run.

“He’s in great shape after this break; it’s not easy to get back to this level. He fits what we want. I’m very happy for him.” 

On whether this improved form casts doubts over the role of Jude Bellingham when he returns from injury, Arbeloa highlighted that the Englishman remains an integral part of his plans.

“If I could give an arm to make sure Jude is healthy tomorrow, I would. He’s a leader, one of the best in the world. What makes me happy is how the team is competing without a player like Bellingham,” he said.

“It speaks volumes about the squad. If I could give him a potion to get him back to health, I would. I have no doubts about him.”

Finally, when asked about possible rotations at centre-back, with Antonio Rudiger fit and Raul Asencio returning, he added:

“We have five great centre-backs, hopefully Militao will be back soon. I’m happy to have almost all of them available, let’s see how they train today. And we’ll decide.”