Real Madrid News
Real Madrid star’s big argument with Arbeloa the reason for ‘disappearance’ for few games – report
In a major revelation, MARCA reports that Real Madrid defender Raul Asencio had a major disagreement with manager Alvaro Arbeloa, which contributed to his ‘disappearance’ from the squad for a string of matches.
The homegrown star eventually apologised to the manager and the rest of the locker room and has put the issue behind him.
What happened?
When Real Madrid faced Manchester City in the first leg of the UCL Round of 16 on 11 March, Arbeloa decided to drop Asencio from the starting lineup in favour of Dean Huijsen. That did not sit well with the 23-year-old, who confronted the coach about it.
For Asencio, the effort he made to be available against Celta Vigo three days earlier, when Eder Militao and David Alaba were injured, while Huijsen was suspended, deserved a starting place alongside Antonio Rudiger.
Asencio was dealing with a serious neck contusion suffered against Benfica, but pushed himself to play. As such, he was upset with Arbeloa’s decision and decided to confront him.
Tensions between coach and player escalated days later.
After being benched against City, Asencio was expected to start against Elche. However, on the day of the match, shortly before the usual morning activation session, he went to Arbeloa’s office to report minor muscle discomfort and that he did not feel fit to play.
This situation did not please the manager at all. The tension became even more pronounced when Arbeloa informed Rudiger, who had been set to rest ahead of the return leg vs Man City at the Etihad, that he would have to play against Elche.
This change of plan did not sit well with the German defender, who is very strict with his preparation and match routines. With this, the ‘Asencio case’ moved from Arbeloa’s office into the dressing room.
Disappearance and apology
Following this, Asencio was left out of the squad vs Elche, did not travel to Manchester, and was again absent for the derby against Atletico Madrid, despite training normally. He continued to train daily, but was repeatedly omitted from matchday squads.
The reason was that he had not apologised to the team for challenging Arbeloa’s decision to bench him against Manchester City. The player had apologised to him privately, but the coach demanded that he do so in front of the group. Until then, he would not be selected.
The situation dragged on longer than expected because Asencio did not initially believe he needed to apologise to his teammates.
At one point, Arbeloa asked the group, “Does anyone have something to say?” at the end of a pre-training huddle, inviting Asencio to speak. The defender lowered his head and remained silent. Without an apology, he continued to be left out.
The issue began to take on a different dimension on social media as speculation about Asencio’s lack of professionalism began to spread.
At this point, he decided to bring the matter to a close and apologised to the dressing room, following which, Asencio returned to the squad against Mallorca and Bayern Munich, although he did not play in either match.
In a major update, AS reports that former Real Madrid midfielder and club legend Toni Kroos has taken his first step towards starting his coaching career.
The former Germany international has told the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) that he is interested in joining the coaching course reserved for professional footballers.
Real Madrid tried to bring Kroos back
It is no secret that Real Madrid considered bringing Toni Kroos back into the club’s structure after the end of the last season.
The club president, Florentino Perez, had wanted Kroos to have a daily presence at Valdebebas rather than making occasional appearances after his retirement.
Jose Angel Sanchez and Kroos spoke after Perez expressed his desire to see the German working at Valdebebas every day. However, they did not find the right moment, time or structure to give his return a clear form.
A comeback remains one of the possibilities most desired by Madrid supporters because of Kroos’ charisma and what he represents at the Santiago Bernabeu. Neither side wanted him to return simply for the sake of it, so the door remains open for the future.
The relationship between the two parties is excellent, and both know that the opportunity to work together again will eventually come.
Taking it step by step
For now, Kroos continues to run the academy he established in Boadilla, enjoying the opportunity to help develop younger players.
After two years away from the competitive side of football, however, he is beginning to look towards the dugout as a possible next step in his career.
Kroos currently holds coaching qualifications that allow him to work up to the third tier of Spanish football.
This is possible because professionals with at least seven years of proven experience and significant involvement at the elite level can gain direct access to accelerated coaching courses.
That means Kroos could coach a team in Primera Federacion, but the German wants to take things gradually.
Kroos has already informed the RFEF that he would be interested in joining the coaching course reserved for professional footballers during the 2027/28 season.
The course taking place this season is not available to elite former players, with UEFA limiting each campaign to 20 places.
With his current qualifications, Kroos could work as an assistant coach, but he cannot yet take charge as a head coach in either the top flight or the Segunda División.
But completing that programme would allow Kroos to obtain the UEFA A licence, which would enable him to coach teams at any level.
