Arbeloa leaves Real Madrid, Mourinho expected to take over

Real Madrid officially confirmed Tuesday evening the end of its collaboration with Alvaro Arbeloa, ending the brief spell of the former Spanish left-back on the Merengues bench. Arbeloa had taken the reins of the club in January, succeeding Xabi Alonso.

In a statement, the Madrid club praised its former player developed at La Casa Blanca: « Real Madrid is deeply grateful to Alvaro Arbeloa who, throughout his time at the club, from his early days in our academy, has always shown loyalty, commitment and professionalism. He embodies the values of our club. Real Madrid, which will always remain his home, wishes Alvaro Arbeloa and his entire family good luck in this new chapter of their lives. »

This departure comes just days after Florentino Pérez’s re-election as club president, and paves the way for José Mourinho’s return. The « Special One », who managed Real Madrid from 2010 to 2013 — winning a La Liga title and a Copa del Rey — has been tipped for several weeks to take over the position. He would begin pre-season preparation in a month with players not selected for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, including Spaniards Dean Huijsen, Raúl Asencio, Fran Garcia and Gonzalo Garcia, as well as Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ferland Mendy, Eduardo Camavinga and Franco Mastantuono.

On the departures side, Dani Carvajal and David Alaba have left the club. As for the summer schedule, Real Madrid has not yet communicated about its friendly matches. A year after its elimination in the semi-finals of the Club World Cup against PSG (4-0), the club could forgo a tour in Asia or North America and participate in the Teresa Herrera Trophy, a pre-season tournament organized by Deportivo La Corogne.