MADRID (AP) – Jose Mourinho praised new Real Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League game against Benfica’s old club.
Mourinho coached Arbeloa at Madrid in the early 2010s. He called him “one of my boys” and one of the “special players” he played with during his playing days.
“Alvaro was one of my favorite players, from a human point of view, from a personal relationship point of view, from an empathy point of view,” Mourinho said on Tuesday. “Obviously he wasn’t the best player that I coached at Real Madrid, but he was certainly one of the best players that played for me at Real Madrid.”
Arbeloa was promoted to Madrid’s manager two weeks ago after coaching the club’s B team. he replaced Xabi Alonso. When introduced, the 43-year-old Arbeloa admitted he was heavily influenced by the Portuguese coach, but said he had no intention of becoming one. new mourinho A Spanish powerhouse.
Arbeloa said: “I’m honored to hear such kind words about me from coach Jose Mourinho.” “He’s more than just a coach to me. I was touched and happy to hear his story. He’s my friend.”
Mourinho also called Alonso one of his sons. The former midfielder also played for Arbeloa at the same time as Madrid’s manager Mourinho.
Mourinho, who has won the Champions League twice, once with Porto and once with Inter Milan, expects Benfica to beat Madrid at home on Wednesday and expects other results for the Portuguese side to advance to the play-offs.
Benfica are 29th in the 36-team league standings, five spots off the final qualifying spot. Madrid are in third place but are still not certain they will finish in the top eight, automatically advancing to the round of 16.
“It’s difficult to predict,” Mourinho said. “No matter how many experts analyze football, there is one thing that is undeniable and at the same time amazing: the unpredictability of the game. You never know what will happen.”
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