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Real Madrid’s Álvaro Arbeloa gave his blessing to former boss José Mourinho on Saturday, amid intense speculation that the Portuguese coach is set to replace him and begin a second stint at the European powerhouse.
Speaking like a coach who knows his days are numbered, Arbeloa told reporters in Madrid on Saturday that “if it’s him (Mourinho) who is here next season, I will be happy to see him back home.”
Arbeloa played for Madrid when Mourinho was in charge from 2010 to 2013, a tumultuous period in which Madrid won the Spanish league and Copa del Rey titles but were overshadowed by Pep Guardiola’s great Barcelona side. Mourinho’s abrasive attitude towards opponents like Guardiola as well as some of his own players has put off many in Spain. He also had his loyal supporters, like Arbeloa and some die-hard fans.
Madrid’s sports papers are full of rumors that Mourinho is the leading candidate to replace Arbeloa, who has always been seen as an interim coach after being promoted from the club’s reserve team mid-season to replace the sacked Xabi Alonso.
(Photo by Bruno de Carvalho/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Second-placed Madrid have two more Spanish league matches remaining this campaign, which they will end without a major title. He travels to Sevilla on Sunday and concludes the season at home against Athletic Bilbao on May 23.
The 15-time European Cup winners have been embarrassed in recent weeks by a series of unseemly events. There was a fight between players and a defeat at Barcelona which allowed their fierce rival to clinch the league title. Kylian Mbappe was also mocked by fans, while the star striker publicly criticized Arbeloa for not playing him more.
Club president Florentino Pérez added to the sense of a club in crisis by giving a press conference to announce he would call a snap election, which he is expected to win, while castigating the media for what he saw as a campaign to force him to resign.
Pérez is expected to change coaches soon, and it is understandable that he thinks Mourinho’s strong personality is what the team needs.
Mourinho, who led Porto and Inter Milan to Champions League titles in 2004 and 2010, ends his season with Benfica this weekend. The 63-year-old coach said on Friday that he had received an offer from the Lisbon-based club to continue, but would decide on his future in the coming days.
When asked what he thought of Mourinho’s possible return, Arbeloa reiterated similar praise he had lavished on Mourinho on other occasions.
“For me, as a player, and especially as a Madrid fan, I feel and think that he is number one,” Arbeloa said.
Associated Press reporting.
