Real Madrid head coach Alvaro Arbeloa has promised to make a strong demand from his players in the wake of registering his first win as interim head coach of the Spanish club.
Arbeloa, who recently replaced the dismissed Xabi Alonso, said he would demand that Real Madrid players pass the ball to winger Vinicius Jr as many as possible.
He said this to the club’s media after Real Madrid’s 2-0 win over Levante with Kylian Mbappe converting a controversial penalty and Raul Asencio scoring a header.
However, the major flashpoint in the game was Vinicius Jr getting constantly booed by fans at the Santiago Bernabeu when he touched the ball. Scroll down to watch Madrid fans booing Vinicius Jr.
Vinicius’ poor relationship with Alonso is widely reported as one of the major reasons for the coach’s dismissal and in his post-game presser, Arbeloa addressed the issue by stating that,
“As coach of Real Madrid, I’m going to work to get the best out of Vini Jr. I’m going to demand that his teammates look for him and give him as many balls as possible because he’s one of the most dynamic players in the world, if not the most.”
“We didn’t have a good week and the fans have every right to show their dissatisfaction with the players, with the team and with me first and foremost.”
“I’ve always had a lot of respect for the Bernabéu. I’ve been booed a lot too, and I think one of the reasons this club is so great is because of how demanding our fans are.”
👏👏👏 Mucho mérito tiene lo que está haciendo Vinicius, pocas personas han logrado unir a España como él.
Tras los pitos del Bernabéu creo que no hay ningún estadio en España donde no le hayan pitado pic.twitter.com/VDTVnMKjkT— Walter Zimmermann (@WalterZim) January 17, 2026
🚨 Vinicius se va directo al vestuario y no se queda con el resto de jugadores a aplaudir a la afición tras el pitido final. @defcentral pic.twitter.com/7g7WodPrQ6
— Jose Padilla (@JosePadi_) January 17, 2026
