How does Alvaro Arbeloa get the best out of Real Madrid stars?

Arbeloa’s experience as head coach of Real Madrid’s reserve team made the integration of young players into the first team feel seamless, so it was natural to expect him to provide opportunities for emerging talent.

This was particularly the case when Real Madrid faced Elche earlier this month and Arbeloa gave minutes to six Castilla players – Gonzalo Garcia, Daniel Yanez, Diego Aguado, Manuel Angel and Cesar Palacios, while also naming Thiago Pitarch in the starting line-up.

Pitarch in particular quickly established himself as one of Arbeloa’s most promising protectors.

At just 18 years and 226 days old, he became the youngest player in the club’s history to start twice in the Champions League knockout stages, beating Vinicius’ record by 10 days.

When asked what it means to see five academy graduates on the field, Arbeloa could not hide his pride.

“I think I could die happy after a night like tonight,” he said.

“I just spoke to Yanez and Aguado, who were the first players I coached when they were 13 or 14 years old, and to be able to give them the opportunity to play at the Bernabeu is a dream come true for me.”

While Arbeloa may be familiar with the Castilla players, he admits injuries have limited his exposure to some first-team players, but he is keen to continue building relationships across the squad.

“I still have a lot to learn because we are gradually rehabilitating players I haven’t worked with yet, like Militao,” he said. “Bellingham was able to play (against Atletico) after a long time, so we are in constant evolution with a lot of room for improvement.

“There is a difficult calendar ahead, with a test every three days, and we have to give our best.”