Álvaro Arbeloa leaves Real Madrid: Mourinho return expected

José Mourinho's return to Real Madrid is becoming increasingly clear. On Friday, the club's current head coach, Álvaro Arbeloa, officially announced that he would leave the team at the end of the season. "I am leaving Real Madrid with infinite gratitude. The players inspired me to become a better person and brought me joy every day," Arbeloa said at a press conference. This is reported by Goal.com .

The 43-year-old former reserve team coach took charge of the team in mid-January after Xabi Alonso's departure. However, he was unable to turn the situation around, and Real Madrid finished the 2025/26 season without a trophy. Although Arbeloa's contract was set to run until 2027, both parties decided to terminate the partnership.

José Mourinho, who successfully managed Real Madrid from 2010 to 2013, is now expected to bring new energy to the team. Earlier this week, several publications reported that the 63-year-old Portuguese manager's move from Benfica to Madrid is a done deal. While official confirmation is pending, it is said that Mourinho will pay a €3 million release clause to leave Benfica and sign a two-year contract with Madrid.

Regarding the incoming coach, Arbeloa said: "Mou has a great coaching staff, surrounded by professionals. If he comes, he will bring his own team, and that is the right decision." At the same time, Arbeloa emphasized that he would not be joining Mourinho's staff. Currently, Real Madrid trails league leaders Barcelona by 11 points in La Liga.

It was a disappointing season for the club: they failed to get past Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals and suffered an unexpected loss to Albacete in the Copa del Rey. Off the pitch, the situation was also unstable—notably, star forward Kylian Mbappé and other players had open conflicts with Arbeloa. Reflecting on his 20 years in the club's system, Arbeloa expressed hope for a future return.