Mbappé, Vinicius among five Real Madrid stars Arbeloa wants to play ‘always’

Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa insisted on Saturday that he would back the team’s star players and give them as many minutes as possible, despite debate over whether the team can function effectively with all of them on the pitch.

Los Blancos, who were defeated at Benfica in the Champions League on Wednesday to advance to the play-off round, sometimes struggle to find balance when too many of their attacking talents play together.

Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior have completed each of the last four games for Arbeloa, along with goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, while midfielder Fede Valverde started all four and was substituted once.

«I always want to have the best players on the pitch, and the more minutes they can have at my disposal for the team, the better,» Arbeloa told a news conference, when asked if those five players were «untouchable».

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«These are players who can shake up a match at any time. There will be people who are not Madrid fans and don’t want them on the pitch, but I can imagine that Madrid supporters want their best players to always be available, always on the pitch.»

«I think the five players mentioned are among the top ten in the world, so they have my full confidence. And it’s not just my confidence; it’s their performance that puts them on the field.»

Real Madrid hosts Rayo Vallecano in La Liga on Sunday and wants to recover from the defeat against Benfica and put pressure on leader Barcelona.

French superstar Mbappe criticized the team for its inconsistency and Arbeloa said Madrid is working to solve that problem.

“Look, we’re working on finding the consistency that we want in our game and at all levels, and I think right now is neither a time for disappointment nor a time for euphoria,” Arbeloa said. “It’s a time for work, nothing more.”

Published on January 31, 2026