Real Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa has denied that relations with captain Dani Carvajal are strained, following the decision to leave him out against Alaves. The pair do not appear to be seeing eye-to-eye though, something that supposedly dates back to early on in their relationship.
Carvajal returned to fitness in January, but has barely featured for Arbeloa in terms of starts and consistent minutes, with Trent Alexander-Arnold being preferred. Arbeloa suggested on Thursday that he had no issues with Carvajal, and it was simply the case that it was a difficult decision to leave one of the two out.
‘Relationship has not been good since day one’
According to Jorge Picon, the pair have been at odds since early on in Arbeloa’s tenure. Carvajal feels that his manager has not been fair with his selection choices, and that as a result, Arbeloa is getting in the way of his last chance to go to a World Cup with Spain. For his part, the Real Madrid manager believes that Alexander-Arnold is simply performing better, and that Carvajal could have behaved better as a substitute, and a captain.
La relación entre Arbeloa y Carvajal no es buena desde prácticamente el día uno. El capitán considera que su entrenador no está siendo justo con él y que le está restando las opciones que le quedaban de ir al Mundial. Por otro lado, el técnico considera a Trent como su titular… pic.twitter.com/6tT1Ikt8Vl
— Picón (@JorgeCPicon) April 22, 2026
The matter has already seen a flashpoint earlier in the season, with peace talks held in March, but the situation has changed little. The Athletic reference that earlier tension, and that Carvajal took Arbeloa’s spot in the team when the two were in the Real Madrid squad as teammates. Cadena SER also assure that their relation is ‘not the best’.
Carvajal struggles in training
The Athletic go on to say that during training, Carvajal has struggled to keep up with Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe, and that using Alexander-Arnold is the decision that makes sense on merit in the eyes of Arbeloa.
It is true that the 34-year-old has not been altogether impressive in the second half of the season, while Alexander-Arnold has contributed plenty going forward. On the other hand, given the lack of game time he has had, Carvajal has had little chance to get back up to match fitness.
