Arbeloa Praises Vinicius After Real Madrid’s 0-2 Win — Rcd Espanyol - Real Madrid
Rcd Espanyol - Real Madrid ended 0-2 at the RCDE Stadium, and Álvaro Arbeloa used his post-match press conference to put Vinicius at the center of the night. He said the winger scored two goals, but the bigger note for Madrid was his handling of the squad before the Clásico.
Arbeloa on Vinicius
Arbeloa described Vinicius as more than the scorer of two goals. “Ha vuelto a hacer un partidazo, metiendo dos golazos, siendo el líder en la parte ofensiva del equipo, siendo una amenaza total cada vez que coge el balón, muy agresivo, muy inteligente, muy valiente, constante.”
He went further in his praise: “Un jugador fantástico, un líder nato, un compañero que todo el mundo le quiere, una gran persona. Tengo muchísima suerte”. For Madrid, that is a clear read on who Arbeloa sees carrying the attacking weight when the team needs direct production and emotional control in the same match.
Real Madrid and the Clásico
Arbeloa also explained why Vinicius came off. “Le he reservado un poco porque no quería jugármela que no estuviese en el Clásico y por eso ha sido el cambio.” That substitution was less about the result in hand than about keeping a key player available for the next major test.
He broadened the point beyond one player. “Yo no entro en comparaciones entre jugadores. Necesitamos de todos. Para ganar cualquier partido necesitas el compromiso de todos los jugadores.” He added: “El talento solo no vale.”
Mbappé and Carvajal
The medical side of the squad was part of the discussion too. Arbeloa said: “Toda la planificación de los lesionados está supervisada y a cargo de los servicios médicos del Real Madrid, que son los que controlan cuándo tienen que ir a Valdebebas, cuándo no.” He also said, “Con Mbappé vamos a ver cómo está esta semana.”
Carvajal remained part of the same plan. Arbeloa said he still has hope the defender can play before the end of the season and “pueda despedir la temporada jugando en el campo, que es como se merece Dani Carvajal”. For Madrid, the win in Barcelona was clean on the scoreboard, but the more revealing part came in how Arbeloa framed the week ahead: protect Vinicius, monitor Mbappé, and keep the injured players under the club’s medical control.
