Álvaro Arbeloa: “Valverde and Tchouameni deserve for us to turn the page”

Real Madrid's coach Alvaro Arbeloa gives a press conference on the eve of the Spanish league football match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid CF, at Real Madrid Sports City in Valdebebas, in the outskirts of Madrid, on May 9, 2026. (Photo by OSCAR DEL POZO / AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images An emotional Álvaro Arbeloa spoke to the press on Saturday to preview the Clásico on Sunday as the Real Madrid coach addressed the locker room bust-up this week, saying: “I have to say two things. First, I’m very proud of the club’s decisiveness, speed, and transparency.

And second, that the players have acknowledged their mistake, expressed their regret, and asked for forgiveness. That’s enough for me. What I’m not going to do is burn them at the stake, because they don’t deserve it.

Given what they’ve shown me over these four months and these years. They’ve shown they know what it means to be a Real Madrid player, and I won’t forget that. I always give an example.

For me, there’s one player who is the epitome of what a Real Madrid player should be, and that’s Juanito. And did Juanito never make a mistake? And I think we’re all very proud of what he did in every game.