Arbeloa defends backing Real Madrid youngster despite some opposition within club | OneFootball

Alvaro Arbeloa’s time as the Real Madrid manager is set to come to an end in a few weeks when the curtains fall on the 2025/26 season.

The short tenure will likely be remembered for all the wrong reasons, given the current state of the locker room and the fact that the team is finishing without a trophy once more.

One of the few positives of his spell, though, has to be the chances he gave to youngsters from the academy, with Thiago Pitarch, in particular, benefitting from regular minutes in the first team.

Arbeloa stands by decision to back Thiago

Now, according to MARCA, Arbeloa stands firm by his decision to trust and back Thiago in the first team, even though some higher-ups might not have been pleased by the situation.

Thiago has become the biggest gamble taken by Arbeloa. The academy player represents the image of the change the coach has tried to bring to the team.

It has been a controversial decision that has clashed directly with some opinions within the upper ranks of the club. Indeed, Thiago’s prominence has not pleased everyone at the club, especially because it came at the expense of first-team players like Eduardo Camavinga.

However, Arbeloa has remained firm and brave in defending his decision. Trusting an academy player in difficult moments is not easy, but the coach believes that Real Madrid are more competitive with Thiago in the team.

The commitment to Thiago also carries a message: “If the kid runs, the others have to run as well.” After all, the one thing the academy player has never lacked is effort, intensity and commitment on the field.

Thiago repays the trust

Arbeloa’s biggest gamble. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

Thiago has defended Arbeloa in his own way. Beyond some obvious mistakes linked to his youth, the academy player has delivered impressive performances.

He has shown personality while offering dynamism, mobility and aggression. These qualities have also been accompanied by positive results. In fact, Real Madrid have only been losing when he left the pitch on two occasions in his nine starts.

Arbeloa has always had a clear plan for Thiago. Initially, he protected the youngster after his arrival in the first team by sending him back to Castilla to regain lost playing time.

The midfielder had spent 40 consecutive days training under Xabi Alonso without playing a single minute, so Arbeloa’s first objective was for him to recover match rhythm with the reserve side.

Once that period was completed, Thiago returned to the first team to play an important role. He has accumulated valuable minutes in high-pressure matches and has significantly increased his market value, now estimated at €20 million.

Despite a slight reduction in his involvement in mid-April, even returning briefly to play for Castilla, the academy gem has regained his starting place in the last two matches against and is expected to remain important until the end of the season.