Former Real Madrid midfielder weighs in on Alonso, Arbeloa, Vinicius: ‘Sad he was not given more time’
· Yahoo Sports
Between 2010 and 2015, Sami Khedira was an integral part of Real Madrid, arriving after a sensational campaign at the 2010 World Cup.
Playing under Jose Mourinho at the time, he partnered none other than Xabi Alonso as the defensive midfield pivot and shared the field with legends including Cristiano Ronaldo, Angel Di Maria, Sergio Ramos, and, notably, current Real Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa, who was a regular starter at the time.
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With the legendary team, he was a crucial part of the team that won La Decima and eventually retired as a player who conquered the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Champions League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and other accolades.
Khedira speaks on Real Madrid
Speaking to Diario AS in a recent interview, the former Real Madrid player was asked about Alvaro Arbeloa’s term as club manager coming to a premature end and what he made of the saga.
“I was very sad that he was not given more time. We can speculate on the internal motives, but for me, he is still an extraordinary coach who will soon lead another great European club and will succeed again.
“Sometimes you have a locker room full of personalities that is not yet ready for your idea of football or your way of managing it,” he added.
He then commented on Alonso’s replacement, Alvaro Arbeloa, and what he thought of the new manager’s work on the sidelines
“Here comes a phrase from Mourinho: he said that perhaps he was not the best player he trained, but he was one of the hardest-working and with the highest mentality,” he opened on Arbeloa.
“He is direct, competitive, sometimes provocative, but always honest. And that is transmitted to players like Vinicius,” he added.
Khedira was then asked to elaborate on what he meant by honesty being transmitted to players like Vinicius, to which he said,
Alonso was dismissed earlier this year. (Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)
“With Ancelotti, Vini was close to winning the Ballon d’Or. With Xabi, he was more corseted in the system, because his teams prioritise the collective over the individual.”
“Arbeloa has released him differently, and that is already noticeable in the field,” he added.
The racism episode
The former player then gave his two cents on the recent racism episode in the game between Real Madrid and Benfica, strictly condemning the events.
“The reality is that no one knows exactly what happened. We all agree that racism has no place anywhere, not even in the stands.”
“If such a word were pronounced, it is intolerable and should entail a harsh sanction after investigation.”
He was then asked about Vinicius’ provocative celebration and what he made of that when compared to what Prestianni did.
“They are different things. That Vini sometimes provokes is not new. He must be aware that he is an example for millions of children, just like Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi were,” he began.
Concurrently, the former player also handed Vinicius some advice on how he must be more of a leader and set a good example.
“Cristiano also showed a lot of his ego at first, until he understood its impact and assumed a leadership role. That’s the next step for Vini.”
“But none of that justifies racist insults. No one has the right to discriminate against another person because of their skin colour or origin. And it’s sad to have to repeat it so many times,” he concluded.