Real Madrid head coach Álvaro Arbeloa has said he would be “very happy” to see José Mourinho return to take charge of the club, calling his former boss “number one” and denying that the team’s dressing room has become “unmanageable.”
Madrid have been hit by a series of headline-grabbing incidents in recent weeks, including a training-ground confrontation between Aurélien Tchouaméni and Federico Valverde, president Florentino Pérez calling elections after a second trophyless season, and this week’s claim from Kylian Mbappé that Arbeloa had told him he was the team’s “fourth-choice forward.”
Meanwhile, Mourinho has emerged as a contender to replace Arbeloa as head coach at Madrid next season, with ESPN reporting that he is the leading candidate on a three-man shortlist.
“I don’t share the idea of an unmanageable dressing room,” Arbeloa said in a news conference ahead of Madrid’s penultimate LaLiga game at Sevilla, when asked if Mourinho was the solution. “That’s not how I’d define the Real Madrid dressing room.
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“As for José, I’ve been clear what I think about him. For me, as a player and a Real Madrid fan, I think Mourinho is number one. I thought that a month ago when we played him in the Champions League [with Benfica], and I’ll continue to think it. José is, and always will be, ‘one of us.’ If he’s here next season, I’ll be very happy to see him back home.”
Arbeloa, who was promoted from reserve team boss to replace Xabi Alonso in January, denied that his coaching reputation had been hurt by Madrid’s chaotic second half of the 2025-26 campaign.
They go into tomorrow’s game at Sevilla 11 points behind champions Barcelona, who confirmed their title with a Clásicowin over Madrid last weekend.
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“I arrived four months ago as a First Division RFEF [third tier] coach and I’m leaving as Real Madrid coach, having managed Champions League matches,” Arbeloa said. “There aren’t many coaches who can say that. For me, these four months have been a great experience, a learning process. Being here every day, being in front of you all has been like doing a Masters. I’ll leave with a clear conscience.”
Mbappé missed the Clásicothrough injury, and was only used as a second-half substitute in Madrid’s 2-0 win over Real Oviedo on Thursday.
After the match, top scorer Mbappé told journalists Arbeloa had said he was now “the fourth-choice forward in the squad,” although speaking soon afterwards, the coach denied that claim, blaming a misunderstanding.
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“I was just coming up here and I saw him. I told him to relax, that I’d deal with it,” Arbeloa explained on Saturday. “I understand that a lot of these things can seem newsworthy, what Kylian said in the mixed zone. It’s something I’d already spoken about with him. I think it’s normal.
“I’ve been there. I understand how the players feel when they don’t play. I know Kylian wasn’t happy the other day, and I like that. I wouldn’t understand it if Kylian Mbappé didn’t want to play for Real Madrid, even in a situation like this. For me, it’s much more normal than the way it’s been portrayed.
“For me, right or wrong — everyone can have their opinion — I think the best thing was for him to play a bit in the second half, to then be able to play on Sunday [against Sevilla]. If it weren’t for Sunday’s game, the situation would have been different. But that’s all. I see what’s happened these past few days as perfectly normal. My relationship with Mbappé remains the same.”
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Arbeloa denied that he was unhappy with Mbappé for sharing details of their conversation with the media.
“Whenever I talk to the players, I’m not afraid that they might discuss any of the conversations we’ve had,” Arbeloa said. “When I speak privately, I prefer to keep it private, but I don’t mind if it’s talked about. There’s no problem.”
