Alvaro Arbeloa delivered an amusing retort after being questioned over Kylian Mbappe ‘liking’ a story linking Jose Mourinho to the Real Madrid manager’s job.
Arbeloa has been in charge since Xabi Alonso was sacked earlier in the season but it has been a disastrous campaign set to end without silverware.
The interim boss is not expected to be given the job on a permanent basis and Mourinho, who currently manages Benfica, is among the names linked with the Bernabeu.
When questioned about Mbappe appearing to endorse a return for the 63-year-old at a press conference ahead of Real’s Friday clash with Betis, Arbeloa said: ‘I’m indifferent to whether Mbappé likes Mourinho, Julia Roberts, or anyone else!’
‘Score90’, an Instagram account with 3.3million followers, posted an image of Mourinho alongside Mesut Ozil and Cristiano Ronaldo depicting his time in charge back in 2012.
Below it was a similarly mocked-up design featuring Mbappe and team-mate Arda Guler.
The above Instagram post by Score90 was liked by Kylian Mbappe, before he then ‘unliked’ it
The caption read: ‘José Mourinho is currently one of the top candidates to take charge of Real Madrid next season.
‘Since his previous spell at the club, he has the second-highest win rate of any Real Madrid manager.
‘Moreover, during his last stint, he took Cristiano Ronaldo’s goalscoring from elite to superhuman. Could we see a similar transformation with Kylian Mbappé?
‘What do you think? Is there any chance of a José Mourinho comeback at Real Madrid, and if so, would he be the right manager for the Spanish giants?’
Mbappe’s official account is then reported by the Spanish press to have ‘liked’ the post – but he has now removed it.
Mourinho won LaLiga and the Copa del Rey during his time in charge and left by mutual consent in 2013.
The only Real coach with a higher winning percentage since that stint was Carlo Ancelotti but it would remain a huge surprise to see Mourinho back in the Spanish capital.
Daily Mail Sport’s Tom Collomosse previously reported that Madrid chief Florentino Perez admires both Jurgen Klopp and Mauricio Pochettino.
Alvaro Arbeloa (right) said he does not care what Mbappe ‘likes’ on social media
Former Liverpool boss Klopp is currently in a senior role with the Red Bull group while Pochettino, who has coached Tottenham, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain, will lead the USA at the World Cup this summer.
Klopp’s track record and charisma make him an ideal candidate for Madrid but there are doubts whether the German wants to return to the dug-out yet.
He left Liverpool at the end of the 2023-24 season and has shown little desire to embrace that high-pressure lifestyle again. The chance to coach one of the world’s most prestigious clubs may prove difficult to reject, however.
Pochettino, meanwhile, is likely to be on several lists if he leaves the USA post.
