Two of Spain’s World Cup winners continue to be at odds in the infancy of their managerial careers, as tensions between Alvaro Arbeloa and Fernando Torres remain high.
Torres, in charge of Atletico Madrid’s under-19s, was sent off when his side played their Real Madrid counterparts, after a shouting match that got physical with Arbeloa at the time. Real Madrid had the edge over their opponents for much of last season, winning the league and the derbies.
As reported by Cadena SER, Torres did have something to celebrate after Los Colchoneros beat Los Blancos 2-1, leaving them eight points clear of their city rivals at the top. Yet Torres did not have the opportunity to gloat over Arbeloa, as the two refused to look at each other for the entire match.
At half-time, Arbeloa left the pitch a minute early, while Torres returned to his bench a minute late. Torres also sprinted from the touchline in Diego Simeone fashion on the final whistle, thus the two managed to avoid each other for the entire time. The pair did not shake hands at the start or the end of the match either.
Both are highly rated at their respective clubs, and are tipped to take over the senior sides down the line, which could see their rivalry continue into the professional game. The incidents last season were major news in Spain, and goes to show the detoriorating relations between the two sides.
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