Sergio Arribas talks Alonso, Zidane, Bellingham, Guler, Real Madrid: ‘I hope I can return one day’ | OneFootball

Sergio Arribas was considered one of Real Madrid’s academy’s brightest prospects not too long ago, but was forced to leave the club as he saw simply no scope of breaking into the first team.

He left for Almeria in 2023 and has done well to establish himself as a mainstay. This season, however, he has been on a whole new level.

In just 18 starts in the second division, he already has ten goals and five assists to his name and averages a stunning 2.7 shots per game.

Arribas on Alonso and Real Madrid

The former academy star spoke about Real Madrid and his time at the club in an interview with AS recently, and he began by revealing that he does still follow the team’s games.

“Not as much as before with our games, but I do follow them. I think Xabi Alonso is doing things right. He is the coach that Madrid needs. Now he has caught a bad streak, but he has the team doing well in the Champions League and won El Clasico.”

“Barcelona have gone ahead, but we have to give him time to do his things,” he added.

Arribas’ coach at the Castilla team, Real Madrid legend Raul Gonzalez, is no longer associated with the club after being fired in the summer and the player admitted that what happened was unjust.

“I think so, he has not been valued enough. What he told us, and what he also told the press, was that his secondary objective was to go up to Segunda, and the main objective was to train players for the football elite.”

“And we have left a lot of those four or five years in Castilla, either in Primera or Segunda here in Spain, or outside Spain. He did an incredible job, demanding us as much as possible so that when we left we were prepared. It was a very good job,” he added.

The player then spoke about some of his peers who have made their debut for the first team this season and whether Real Madrid can indeed trust academy stars as they should.

“It makes me happy that the people below debut, it’s very difficult. Madrid’s demand is maximum. Being the best club in the world requires you to have the best players.”

“If you get the signing of Mbappe, or Bellingham, how are you not going to sign them? And climbing people from below is complicated,” he added.

Sergio Arribas during his time at Real Madrid. (Photo by Emilio Andreoli/Getty Images)

Arribas then commented on Arda Guler and whether he sees the Turkish star to have what it takes to make it big under Alonso.

“He has to be that football player who has to move the ball. He is sometimes compared to Modric or Kroos, who marked an era not only in Madrid, but throughout the football scene.”

“But Xabi is trying to get Guler to play that role, to manage the team in difficult matches,” he added.

The academy graduate was then asked about how some first-team players specifically asked for him to train with the first team given his talent, and how it felt to be in such a situation at one point in time.

“But they didn’t tell me anything! With Zidane I practically trained every day with them and played with Castilla, I was alternating.”

“Of course, you’re happy to hear that they asked me. To think that the best players ask you to go up to train with them makes you smile,” he added.

Finally, Arribas was asked if he still dreamt of a move back home, to which he said,

“Yes, of course. I’ve always been from Madrid, and I’ve played practically all my life in Madrid. It is the team that has formed me and also the one that has given me practically everything. I hope I can return to Madrid one day.”