Real Madrid president confused by Arbeloa’s decision to overlook some first-team stars

Real Madrid president confused by Arbeloa’s decision to overlook some first-team stars

It is rare for a Real Madrid manager to back academy stars, especially given the club’s seemingly endless financial resources, the high standards and near-zero room for error.

Alvaro Arbeloa, however, was one such rare coach who had what it takes to trust academy players over seasoned talents and handed debuts to several stars.

In fact, he did see many players do well making the step up from the Castilla, including Thiago Pitarch as one of the most notable examples.

Florentino Perez concerned

Arbeloa’s decision to trust young talent and hand out minutes purely based on merit earned him a lot of praise from fans across the globe.

As reported by MARCA, however, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is not entirely on board with the idea.

Indeed, the club president was not happy seeing players on whom massive investments were made being benched by Alvaro Arbeloa, more so for academy stars.

Arbeloa has heavily relied on young academy talents. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

He was concerned by the dip in prominence of names like Dean Huijsen, and and how they were repeatedly dropped from the starting XI.