Alvaro Arbeloa refuses to take five Real Madrid players off the pitch even after Benfica embarrassment

Alvaro Arbeloa backs five Real Madrid stars despite Benfica setback

Speaking at a news conference, Arbeloa addressed the issue directly, with his remarks reported by France 24.

“I always want to have the best players on the pitch, and the more minutes they can be available to the team for me, the better,” Arbeloa told a news conference, when asked if those five players were ‘untouchable,'” Arbeloa said.

He added: “These are players who can shake up a match at any moment. There will be people who aren’t Madrid fans who don’t want them on the pitch, but I imagine Madrid supporters want their best players always available, always on the field.”

The five players in question, Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, Thibaut Courtois, Federico Valverde, and Vinicius Junior, all remained on the pitch despite the team’s struggles.

For Arbeloa, the logic is simple: matches can turn instantly when that level of quality is present.

Alvaro Arbeloa says trust in Real Madrid stars is earned by performance

Arbeloa also rejected the idea that loyalty alone keeps those players on the field.

“I think the five players mentioned are among the top ten in the world, and so they have my full trust. And it’s not just my trust, their performance is what’s putting them on the pitch,” the Madrid coach stated.

His stance suggests that even in difficult moments, he values continuity and belief over reactive substitutions.

The Benfica defeat has intensified scrutiny around Madrid’s in-game management, particularly when results turn against them. However, Arbeloa’s comments underline a broader philosophy at the club.

At Real Madrid, the expectation remains that world-class players respond to adversity by staying involved, not by being withdrawn. For Arbeloa, embarrassment is not a reason to sideline the stars, it is a reason to trust them even more.