{"id":449,"date":"2026-05-16T12:03:21","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T12:03:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=449"},"modified":"2026-05-16T12:03:21","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T12:03:21","slug":"mourinho-receives-arbeloas-blessing-amid-talk-of-return-to-real-madrid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=449","title":{"rendered":"Mourinho receives Arbeloa’s blessing amid talk of return to Real Madrid"},"content":{"rendered":"
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FILE -Benfica\u2019s head coach Jos\u00e9 Mourinho arrives for a Champions League opening phase soccer match between SL Benfica and Real Madrid in Lisbon, Portugal, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo\/Pedro Rocha, File)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

BARCELONA, Spain \u2014 Real Madrid\u2019s \u00c1lvaro Arbeloa gave his blessing to former boss Jos\u00e9 Mourinho<\/a> on Saturday amid intense speculation that the Portuguese coach is set to replace him and start a second stint at the European powerhouse.<\/p>

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Speaking like a coach who knows his days are numbered, Arbeloa told reporters in Madrid on Saturday that \u201cif he (Mourinho) is the one who is here next season, I will be happy to see him back home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Arbeloa played for Madrid when Mourinho was in charge from 2010-2013, a tumultuous time in which Madrid won Spanish league and Copa del Rey titles but was overshadowed by Pep Guardiola\u2019s great Barcelona side. Mourinho\u2019s abrasive attitude to opponents like Guardiola as well as some of his own players turned off many in Spain. He also had his faithful backers, like Arbeloa and some hardcore fans.<\/p>\n

The Madrid sports papers are rife with rumors that Mourinho is the leading candidate to replace Arbeloa, who was always seen as an interim coach after he was promoted from the club\u2019s reserve team midseason to fill in for the fired Xabi Alonso.<\/p>\n

Second-place Madrid has two more Spanish league games to play this campaign, which it will finish without a major title. It visits Sevilla on Sunday and concludes the season at home against Athletic Bilbao on May 23.<\/p>\n

The 15-time European Cup winners have been embarrassed in recent weeks by series of unseemly events. There was a fight between players, and a loss at Barcelona that allowed its fierce rival to clinch the league title<\/a> . Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 was also jeered by fans, while the star striker called out Arbeloa publicly<\/a> for not playing him more.<\/p>

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Club president Florentino P\u00e9rez added to the sense of a club in crisis by giving a press conference to announce he would call early elections, which he is expected to win, while blasting the media<\/a> for what he considered a campaign to force him to quit.<\/p>\n

P\u00e9rez is expected to make a coaching change soon, and it is understandable that he believes Mourinho\u2019s strong personality is what the squad needs.<\/p>\n

Mourinho, who led Porto and Inter Milan to Champions League titles in 2004 and 2010, is finishing 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 that he will decide his future in the coming days.<\/p>\n

When asked what he thought about Mourinho\u2019s possible return, Arbeloa reiterated similar praise he has lavished on Mourinho on other occasions.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me as a player, and above all as a Madrid supporter, I feel and think that he is the number one,\u201d Arbeloa said.<\/p>

Read more GOP senator who defied Trump on impeachment faces voters, five years later<\/a><\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP soccer: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/soccer<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Real Madrid\u2019s \u00c1lvaro Arbeloa has given his blessing to former boss Jos\u00e9 Mourinho amid intense speculation that the Portuguese coach is set to replace him and start a second stint at the European powerhouse<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":447,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-449","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nMourinho receives Arbeloa's blessing amid talk of return to Real Madrid - Moving Insider USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=449\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mourinho receives Arbeloa's blessing amid talk of return to Real Madrid - 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