Real Madrid News
Real Madrid president confused by Arbeloa’s decision to overlook some first-team stars
It is rare for a Real Madrid manager to back academy stars, especially given the club’s seemingly endless financial resources, the high standards and near-zero room for error.
Alvaro Arbeloa, however, was one such rare coach who had what it takes to trust academy players over seasoned talents and handed debuts to several stars.
In fact, he did see many players do well making the step up from the Castilla, including Thiago Pitarch as one of the most notable examples.
Florentino Perez concerned
Arbeloa’s decision to trust young talent and hand out minutes purely based on merit earned him a lot of praise from fans across the globe.
As reported by MARCA, however, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is not entirely on board with the idea.
Indeed, the club president was not happy seeing players on whom massive investments were made being benched by Alvaro Arbeloa, more so for academy stars.
He was concerned by the dip in prominence of names like Dean Huijsen, Alvaro Carreras and Franco Mastantuono and how they were repeatedly dropped from the starting XI.
With a huge investment of €160 million being made in them just last summer, he found it bizarre that they were replaced by La Fabrica talents.
The manager cannot be faulted for his ideology of rewarding merit over stature, but Perez’s is also understandable given how a massive investment appears to have been for nothing.
Heading into next season, it thus remans to be seen if the aforementioned disagreement paves the way for a rift between the coach and the administration.
After all, Arbeloa’s future is far from guaranteed with the first team, especially with the team set to finish without a major for the second season in a row.
Real Madrid News
English legend backs Real Madrid star to become one of the all-time greats: ‘He’s got everything’
Jude Bellingham has spent the past fortnight as the most talked-about footballer in England, and the superlatives show no sign of slowing down.
A masterclass in the Nations League, a clutch of records and a second straight Player of the Year award has not gone unnoticed in English footballing media.
Now one of the English game’s most respected voices has added his name to the growing list of believers.
Lineker backs Bellingham
Asked whether Bellingham can go on to become one of the greatest players of all time, England legend Gary Lineker left no room for doubt.
“Yes, I’ve been saying it for a long time now. If he avoids serious injury or falls of the rails which he won’t I’m sure.
“He’s so good at football, he’s got everything. He’s a superstar and carries himself like a superstar,” he said (h/t Track Radio).
The verdict chimes comes in the midst of a wider chorus of acclaim in recent days. Roy Keane tipped him to become one of the greatest of all time after the Croatia rout, with Ian Wright and Micah Richards among others queuing up to praise him.
Backed by the numbers
The acclaim for Bellingham comes on the back of an extraordinary international break for Bellingham.
Against Croatia, Bellingham scored one and created three in the 7-0 win, becoming the first England player to record four goal involvements in a single game since David Platt in 1993.
He finished the window with one goal and four assists and was named UEFA’s Player of the Round.
That international excellence has carried over to the Bernabeu, where he has settled into a free number 10 role under Jose Mourinho and sits as the club’s joint-leading creator.
Bellingham was part of Real Madrid’s recent 1-0 win over Villarreal as well, and was unlucky not to register an assist when Vinicius Jr.’s goal was disallowed.
The Englishman will be looking to make an impact once again when Real Madrid take on AS Roma this Wednesday.
