On the eve of the trip to Betis Seville, Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa wanted to turn the page on a trivial controversy.
A simple heart on Instagram, and the entire White House ignites. By liking a post about a possible return of Jose Mourinho to Real Madrid, Kylian Mbappé inadvertently stirred up tensions in an already tense locker room. Facing the press, Alvaro Arbeloa chose to dodge the issue with humor: it doesn’t matter to him, he said, whether his striker likes Mourinho or Julia Roberts.
A departure at the end of the season?
The statement was intended to be self-deprecating. It nevertheless speaks volumes about the underlying discomfort. The French striker, already criticized for his lack of defensive involvement, once again finds himself at the center of debate. The timing is particularly delicate. Real Madrid approaches this clash with Betis from an inglorious position: second in the standings, nine points behind an FC Barcelona heading towards the title. The season looks bleak, and the question of the coach’s future is stirring up rumors at the Bernabéu.
In this context, Mourinho’s name is not randomly mentioned in the Spanish press. Other options are starting to surface quietly. Arbeloa may downplay Mbappé’s like: now it’s his own chair that’s shaking.
