Mourinho receives Arbeloa’s blessing amid talk of return to Real Madrid

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Real Madrid’s Álvaro Arbeloa gave his blessing to former boss José Mourinho on Saturday amid intense speculation that the Portuguese coach is set to replace him and start a second stint at the European powerhouse.

Speaking like a coach who knows his days are numbered, Arbeloa told reporters in Madrid on Saturday that “if he (Mourinho) is the one who is here next season, I will be happy to see him back home.”

Arbeloa played for Madrid when Mourinho was in charge from 2010-2013, a tumultuous time in which Madrid won Spanish league and Copa del Rey titles but was overshadowed by Pep Guardiola’s great Barcelona side. Mourinho’s abrasive attitude to opponents like Guardiola as well as some of his own players turned off many in Spain. He also had his faithful backers, like Arbeloa and some hardcore fans.

The Madrid sports papers are rife with rumors that Mourinho is the leading candidate to replace Arbeloa, who was always seen as an interim coach after he was promoted from the club’s reserve team midseason to fill in for the fired Xabi Alonso.

Second-place Madrid has two more Spanish league games to play this campaign, which it will finish without a major title. It visits Sevilla on Sunday and concludes the season at home against Athletic Bilbao on May 23.

The 15-time European Cup winners have been embarrassed in recent weeks by series of unseemly events. There was a fight between players, and a loss at Barcelona that allowed its fierce rival to clinch the league title. Kylian Mbappé was also jeered by fans, while the star striker called out Arbeloa publicly for not playing him more.

Club president Florentino Pérez added to the sense of a club in crisis by giving a press conference to announce he would call early elections, which he is expected to win, while blasting the media for what he considered a campaign to force him to quit.

Pérez is expected to make a coaching change soon, and it is understandable that he believes Mourinho’s strong personality is what the squad needs.

Mourinho, who led Porto and Inter Milan to Champions League titles in 2004 and 2010, is finishing his season with Benfica this weekend. The 63-year-old coach said on Friday that he had received an offer from the Lisbon-based club to continue, but that he will decide his future in the coming days.

When asked what he thought about Mourinho’s possible return, Arbeloa reiterated similar praise he has lavished on Mourinho on other occasions.

“For me as a player, and above all as a Madrid supporter, I feel and think that he is the number one,” Arbeloa said.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer