Arbeloa talks Bellingham, Vinicius, Mbappe, Guler, Mourinho ahead of Benfica vs Real Madrid | OneFootball

Real Madrid take on Portuguese giants SL Benfica in their final league phase match of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League away at Estadio Da Luz on Wednesday night.

The Merengues have 15 points from seven games so far, and are seated in the third place in the table. With the table being so closely packed, another positive result is needed for them to lock in their position in the top eight.

It will be a challenge for manager Alvaro Arbeloa, who marked his Champions League managerial debut with a stunning 6-1 win over AS Monaco last week.

Ahead of the game, the Real Madrid head coach appeared in front of the media in Lisbon, discussing several things, including his relationship with Benfica manager Jose Mourinho.

On Jose Mourinho

The ‘Special One’ had spoken highly of Arbeloa in his press conference earlier in the day, and the Real Madrid boss was thankful to the Portuguese tactician for his words.

“Yes, yes, of course. I didn’t miss the manager ‘s press conference . I didn’t miss them when I was a player and I didn’t miss them today either. It was a tremendous honour to hear everything he said about me.

“I’m thrilled and happy because he’s been much more than just a coach to me. Above all, on a personal level, he’s been very important throughout my entire career.

“Today, I also consider him a great friend. From here, I want to thank him for all his kind words. I’m really looking forward to seeing him tomorrow and giving him a big hug.”

On whether he considers Mourinho a role model, Arbeloa explained: “A role model, of course. I said it on the first day: there will never be anyone like Jose. Anyone who tries to imitate him will fail. And I’ve understood that from day one. My success will be being myself.

“And obviously, within that ‘being Alvaro Arbeloa,’ there’s a significant part of his influence, as well as everything he represented. And I was able to learn from him on a communicative and tactical level.

“Tomorrow we’ll face each other, and I know he’ll want to win because I know how competitive he is. But so will I. And the most important thing will be those 90 minutes.”

Arbeloa shares a strong bond with Mourinho. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)

Further shedding light on his relationship with Mourinho, Arbeloa added: “Obviously, we’ve stayed in touch. I won’t lie to you: I know who Mourinho is, I know what his phone must be like. You can understand why he changes his number so often.

“I’ve tried to ‘bother’ him as little as possible. But he’s one of those friends you can go a long time without speaking to, and then if you call him at 3:00 AM, I’m sure he’d answer. And he’d be there for anything he needed.”

Arbeloa was later asked if he would accept being Mourinho’s assistant if the Portuguese tactician were to return to Real Madrid and call him up at some point. In response, he said:

“I don’t usually talk about hypotheticals. I’m very focused on the present, on tomorrow’s match. On getting the best out of my players. It will be a match I’ll always remember, but only if we win, which is the most important thing.”

On whether he would like to see Mourinho back at the Santiago Bernabeu in the future, Arbeloa remarked:

“As I told your colleague, I don’t like to talk about hypotheticals. Jose… what that victory meant here 12 years ago was incredibly meritorious. Like Carlo’s or Zidane’s later on. But Mourinho laid the foundations for those years.

“I’m here to give my opinion, not to convince anyone; but that’s something I feel. Just as I believe he’s always been valued within the club. And that’s why he was, is, and always will be one of us.”

On the team

Moving on, Arbeloa touched upon what had changed in his team in the 15 days that he has been in charge, as Real Madrid have now racked up three key wins in a row.

“Since I arrived, I’ve seen a group of very committed players, willing to listen and work hard. They’re putting what we’ve discussed into practice. And that’s what’s great,” he said.

“We still have a lot of room for improvement, and if we want to achieve everything, we need to be a team that does many things well. That requires hard work and training. But as of today, what the players are doing is truly commendable.”

On whether helping Jude Bellingham recover his best version was one of his main objectives, Arbeloa explained in detail:

“Jude… and I’ll say it right here… it’s not that he was a surprise, but from day one I’ve seen a player with exceptional quality and talent. Something that’s even more surprising up close. But beyond that, I’ve seen a leader.

“The other day, 48 hours after a match, I told him, ‘I never usually say this, but stop running.’ The performance he’s showing in training, his commitment and leadership… I’m very proud of his level and of having a player like him.

“On the pitch, he’s capable of so many things: he makes runs into space, he reads the game, he has a great shot. He’s young, but has a wealth of experience. And he’s going to be the cornerstone of this Real Madrid for many, many years to come.”

Arbeloa has tremendous faith in Bellingham. (Photo by Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images)

Another key objective for Arbeloa seems to be to establish a strong partnership between the two attacking superstars: Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr.

“Obviously, relationships on a football pitch are crucial. And they need to be developed. There are players who link up well and find space effectively. They and Bellingham could be the three most unpredictable players in the world,” said Arbeloa.

“But there are many other areas to explore. The players can move around, interchange positions, and that’s something we need to work on; we’re working on it. With time, we’ll achieve even more.”

Arbeloa also touched upon youngster Arda Guler and whether he felt that the Turkish international was ready to take the reins of the team in midfield.

“Right now, I can talk about what I’m seeing in him: he has tremendous potential, talent, vision, and a great final pass, like switching play. He’s a very young lad with a lot of room for improvement, but he’s working incredibly hard,” said the manager.

“He finishes matches exhausted from his defensive work rate, but he helps us a lot. We want to take advantage of his talent, which can shine brightest near the midfield or the forwards. In all these situations, he’ll need to keep developing,” he added.

“And when the most demanding matches arrive, he’ll definitely help us. As time goes on, he’ll become a very important player on a global level.

On his time so far at Madrid

Talking about whether he was enjoying his stint as the Real Madrid manager two weeks in, he replied:

“I feel very responsible given the situation I’m in. This position is meant to be enjoyed; that’s the only way to handle it. To give my all and work as hard as possible.

“There’s no other way to do things, in any field, than by enjoying them to the fullest. This requires a great deal of dedication and effort. And that’s how the results come.”

On being asked who else he saw as a role model apart from Mourinho, Arbeloa elaborated:

“Look, I’m very grateful to all the coaches I’ve had. From when I was very young, all the way up to Caparros, whose words I appreciate. He was the first to give me confidence in La Liga, and that led to my move to Liverpool, where I played under Benítez, who has also been very important in my career.

“He was key because he changed my position. But I returned to Real Madrid… and I worked with some truly great coaches like Pellegrini, Rafa, Carlo, Zidane … and with the national team, Luis, Vicente…

“I’ve been very lucky because I’ve had some fantastic coaches, very different from each other, but all very successful. And that’s what football teaches you: there isn’t just one way to lead a team or achieve success.”

Estadio Da Luz, the venue for tomorrow’s game, is a special one for Real Madrid, for it was there that they won La Decima back in 2014.

“It marked the beginning of an era. One of the two most important periods in the history of this club. All good memories. Hopefully, we’ll come away with another victory tomorrow,” said Arbeloa, reminiscing that moment.

Source: AS