Mourinho wishes for Arbeloa to succeed at Real Madrid ahead of CL face-off: ‘Hope everything goes well for him’ | OneFootball

Real Madrid square off against former manager Jose Mourinho tomorrow in the UEFA Champions League when they take on SL Benfica away in Lisbon.

It will be a special moment for Los Blancos manager Alvaro Arbeloa, who holds Mourinho in very high regard and has a strong relationship with the Portuguese tactician.

Ahead of the game, the ‘Special One’ spoke about the tie as well as his relationship with Arbeloa, and Xabi Alonso, who was sacked by Real Madrid earlier this year.

Kicking things off, Mourinho elaborated on the kind of game he was expecting tomorrow between his Benfica side and Real Madrid, saying:

“It’s difficult to predict. No matter how much we talk about it, there’s one thing that’s undeniable and at the same time fantastic, and that’s the unpredictability of the game. You never know what’s going to happen.

“You analyse your opponent and your own team, but a lot can happen. We try to prepare the team as best we can and play with respect for the team we all know. Our only goal is to win.”

The former Real Madrid coach was then asked whether Arbeloa deserved to be the Real Madrid manager, given his inexperience, to which he replied:

“In 2000, Benfica called a coach who had never coached anyone before, and that coach, me, they wanted me as head coach, even though I thought I was an assistant. This gave you a good opportunity to talk about Arbeloa.

“He is my boy, not just a former player of mine. Álvaro is one of my favourite players on a personal level. He wasn’t the best player I had at Real Madrid, but he was one of the best men. He’s the last person I would put pressure on.”

On his initial thoughts after learning about Arbeloa’s appointment, Mourinho remarked: “First of all, I hope everything goes well for him, which is what I want.

“I want Arbeloa to do well wherever he goes. I want Madrid to do well with any coach. Imagine Madrid with Arbeloa, I want him to do well. I love Madrid and I love Álvaro.

Arbeloa set to face former manager Mourinho. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

“I just want them to do badly tomorrow. I haven’t seen him coach, so I can’t tell you anything else about him as a coach. The only thing that matters to me is that he’s happy.

“Being a coach is very difficult, because there are a lot of people who know more than you, who criticise you every day. It’s important that you enjoy it.”

On whether he had spoken with Arbeloa since his appointment, the Benfica manager replied:

“I haven’t spoken to Alvaro. We don’t need to call each other to wish each other luck, he knows that. Just as he feels the same way about me, I’m sure he wants Benfica to always win.”

Regarding Real Madrid’s decision to part ways with Xabi Alonso, and whether it surprised him, Mourinho remarked:

“Xabi is another one of my boys. I only have positive memories of him. I was thrilled to play against Xabi and tomorrow I will be thrilled to play against Alvaro.

“What he did at Leverkusen was a joy to behold. What happened at Madrid is something that does not interest me. Nothing surprises me in football. I’m sure his career will take a different direction and he’ll be very happy. He’s a great coach.”

Source: AS