Álvaro Arbeloa referred to José Mourinho as “one of us” as Real Madrid gets ready to face Mourinho’s current team, Benfica, in the Champions League this Wednesday.
Madrid enters the match at the Estadio da Luz with 15 points, aiming to secure their spot in the top eight, while Benfica, having amassed only six points from seven games, needs a win to keep their hopes of advancing to the knockout stage alive.
Mourinho coached Arbeloa during his tenure at the Bernabéu from 2010 to 2013. In a news conference on Tuesday, the current Madrid coach praised his former mentor as a “role model.”
“I mentioned it on my first day as coach: there will never be anyone like José,” Arbeloa stated. “Any attempts to imitate him will be in vain. I’ve understood from the start that my success will come from being true to myself.”
Earlier this month, Arbeloa succeeded another of Mourinho’s former players, Xabi Alonso, and has bounced back from an early exit in the Copa del Rey to secure three consecutive wins, including a recent victory against Villarreal.
Arbeloa shared that he has maintained communication with Mourinho since their time at the Bernabéu, but he has been careful not to seek managerial guidance too frequently.
“I know who Mourinho is and can only imagine what his phone must be like,” Arbeloa remarked. “It’s easy to see why he changes his number often. I’ve tried not to ‘bother’ him too much, but he’s the kind of friend you could go a long time without talking to, and if you did call him at 3 a.m., I’m sure he’d pick up.”
When asked about the possibility of Mourinho returning to the Bernabéu in the future, Arbeloa refrained from speculation, especially considering the pressure on the former Porto, Chelsea, and Internazionale coach at Benfica after a challenging season.
Wednesday’s clash in Lisbon is significant as it marks a return to the venue where Madrid clinched the Champions League title in 2014, just a year after Mourinho’s departure, a period during which he led the team to three consecutive semifinal appearances.
“I prefer not to discuss hypotheticals,” Arbeloa commented. “The victory 12 years ago holds immense importance, just like Carlo [Ancelotti] and [Zinedine] Zidane’s successes later on. However, Mourinho laid the groundwork for those achievements. I believe he has always been appreciated by the club, and that’s why he is, has been, and always will be one of us.”