Benfica coach Jose Mourinho has refused to put any pressure on Real Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa ahead of the crucial Spanish-Portuguese clash in the final round of the 2026 Champions League group stage.
Mourinho’s comments last week, before Benfica’s match against Juventus, in which he expressed surprise at the appointment of young, inexperienced coaches to top clubs, were widely interpreted as a veiled reference to Inter Milan’s current coach, Chievo, and Arbeloa.
At the pre-match press conference ahead of Wednesday’s game between Real Madrid and Benfica, Mourinho addressed the issue, saying, “You possess a quality I greatly admire: your ability to steer things in the direction you want. My question was about the Juventus coach, not the Real Madrid coach.”
He added, “In 2000, Benfica hired me even though I had never coached a team before, although I initially thought I would be an assistant coach.”
“Arbeloa is like a son to me, not just a former player,” he continued. “Alvaro is one of my favorite players. He wasn’t the best player I coached at Real Madrid, but he was certainly among the best. He’s the last person I’d put pressure on. I wish him all the best and a great coaching career.”
“I wish Arbeloa success wherever he goes. I wish Real Madrid success with any coach. I’m a Real Madrid fan and a fan of Alvaro. I just hope they don’t get a bad result against us tomorrow.”
Arbeloa has won three consecutive matches against Levante, Monaco, and Villarreal, but his start was disastrous with a defeat to Albacete in the Copa del Rey round of 16.
Real Madrid needs to beat Benfica to guarantee direct qualification to the round of 16 as one of the top eight teams, while the Portuguese side is fighting for a win in the hopes of qualifying for the playoffs.
