The fiery rivalry between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid may have just escalated with Los Blancos’ appointment of a club loyalist who will stop at nothing to stop his opponents
The decision by Real Madrid to dismiss Xabi Alonso, a coach known for structure, positional play and control, and replace him with Álvaro Arbeloa signals something deeper than dissatisfaction with results. It suggests intent, one that looks to pivot away from ideals and towards confrontation.
Alonso’s Madrid were designed to dominate the ball, to impose themselves through systems and patterns. It was a logical project, aligned with modern football trends and built to last. But logic has never been Florentino Pérez’s primary currency when Barcelona are thriving.
Instead, Madrid have turned to a figure steeped in club loyalty, pragmatism and emotional warfare. Arbeloa is not a philosopher of the game, he is a loyal Madridista soldier. Someone willing to win at any cost, unsettle the opposition and embrace hostility if required.
It is a move that feels eerily familiar.
Mourinho’s mission to bring down Guardiola’s Barcelona
In 2010, with Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona redefining football, Pérez abandoned the pursuit of stylistic superiority and hired José Mourinho. Not to outplay Barcelona, but to stop them. To disrupt. To fight. To drag the rivalry into darker, uglier territory where aesthetics mattered less than survival.
Mourinho’s Madrid were built on confrontation. Press conferences became battlegrounds. Referees, narratives and moral high ground were all part of the theatre. It worked, to an extent – while Barcelona continued to outperform Madrid, Mourinho’s men managed to get inside the heads of their rivals.
Guardiola, eventually drained by the constant hostility, walked away, in part due to the unpleasant environment that had been created by Mourinho.
Barcelona today are not Guardiola’s all-conquering machine. Financial constraints over the past seven or eight years have stripped them of that kind of dominance. And yet, the gradual rebuild that has taken place – based on smart signings and a wave of La Masia graduates – has led to two unexpected LaLiga titles in the last three seasons – in 2022/23 under Xavi, and 2024/25 under Hansi Flick.
What seems to irritate Madrid even more is that Barcelona have rebuilt with soul.
Flick has fully embraced the club and its ideals, and he is adored by the players and the fans. He defeated Madrid in each of the four occasions they met last season and, after a league Clasico defeat in October, they bounced back with a 3-2 Supercopa de España final win on Sunday, which ultimately spelt the end for Alonso.
La Masia graduates like Pau Cubarsi and Lamine Yamal, combined with experienced heads like Robert Lewandowski, have created a side that plays with identity and joy. It is not perfect, nor untouchable, but it is unmistakably Barça. And crucially, it has been achieved without the financial excess that Madrid have indulged in.
Despite investing heavily to assemble what should be an unstoppable force – signing some of the best up-and-coming players in the world along with a host of experienced free transfers (on astronomical wages) – Madrid still find themselves lagging behind their rivals. Barcelona, operating within limits, have become the team to watch again. For Pérez, that is unacceptable.
🗣️ Álvaro Arbeloa: “Real Madrid means winning, winning, and winning again. It means being demanding about winning trophies and filling the museum cabinet. Our compass is this.” pic.twitter.com/yb9nji7anl
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Footballtweet) January 13, 2026
Mourinho and Arbeloa’s mutual respect
Mourinho was the master at tapping into his players’ minds, deploying out-of-the-box tricks to get the best of his players, even those who did not play regularly, as was the case with Arbeloa. The Spaniard was a key member of the Portuguese coach’s squad for the three years he coached Los Blancos (2010-2013) largely due to his willingness to do anything for the team.
“Arbeloa is a friend, not just a player for me,” Mourinho told MARCA in 2016. “How can a player turn into a friend? By being an example of passion for his profession, of love for his club, for his dedication to the group and its objectives.”
The feeling was mutual.
“I will always defend Mourinho because he’s given everything for this club,” Arbeloa told La Sexta. “Some people don’t like managers like Mourinho, a manager who doesn’t let you relax. I like coaches like Mourinho, I like people who say things to your face.”
Will it work?
Arbeloa certainly does not possess the aura or tactical capabilities that Mourinho did when he was appointed. The Portuguese coach joined Los Blancos in 2010 on the back of winning the treble with Inter Milan, having also previously won the Champions League with Porto and claimed multiple Premier League titles with Chelsea. Arbeloa joins after one season with the Real Madrid B team.
But what Arbeloa lacks in accolades, he makes up for in fire and passion for his club. He learnt it all from Mourinho himself.
That was the case during his playing days when the two sides would meet, even getting into high-profile spats with Gerard Piqué and other Barcelona players with whom he played at international level for Spain. He was never at the level to compete with Barcelona technically, but would be the first to put his foot into a tackle and cause chaos if the game required it.
Today, Arbeloa’s appointment feels like an attempt to reset the terms of engagement. Not to beat Barcelona at their own game, but to change the game entirely. To make matches uncomfortable. To shift focus from football to friction. To revive the siege mentality that Mourinho mastered.