Arbeloa says Mourinho 'always will be one of us'
Alvaro Arbeloa said Jose Mourinho was "one of us" as Real Madrid prepares to face its former bosses current side, Benfica, in the Champions League.
Madrid is third in the 36-team standings and travels to the Estadio da Luz knowing that a victory will seal its spot in the top eight and automatic qualification for the last 16.
Benfica, meanwhile, is 29th with six points from their first seven league phase games, and must claim all three points to stand any chance of reaching the play-offs.
Arbeloa made 121 appearances under Mourinho during their time together in the Spanish capital, with the pair winning LaLiga, the Copa del Rey and Supercopa de Espana.
The 43 year-old Madrid boss will stand opposite Mourinho in the dugout this week, and he described the Portuguese as a "role model" for his coaching career.
"I said it on my first day [as coach], there will never be anyone like Jose," Arbeloa said. "Jose always will be one of us.
"Anyone who tries to imitate him will fail, and I've understood that from day one. My success will be being myself."
Arbeloa took over from another former Mourinho player, Xabi Alonso, earlier this month, and has bounced back from Los Blancos' shock Copa del Rey exit to Albacete.
Since Arbeloa's debut defeat, Madrid has won its last three matches in all competitions, which included its 6-1 rout of Monaco in its penultimate league phase game.
The Madrid coach said he'd stayed in touch with Mourinho in the years since they were together at the Bernabeu, but had resisted looking for managerial advice too often.
"I know who Mourinho is, I know what his phone must be like," Arbeloa said. "You can understand why he changes his number so often.
"I've tried to 'bother' him as little as possible. But he's one of those friends you can go a long time without speaking to, and then if you call him at 3 a.m., I'm sure he'd answer."
Mourinho has been sensationally linked with a return to Madrid, though the Benfica boss quickly downplayed the possibility of managing Los Blancos again.
The 'Special One' has never won in five attempts against Madrid in all competitions, making his former employers the side he has faced most without ever winning in his managerial career.
The game in Lisbon marks a return to the stadium where Madrid won the Champions League in 2014 when it beat rival Atletico Madrid 4-1 after extra-time.
Madrid's 10th European crown came a year after Mourinho departed, having guided the team to three successive Champions League semi-finals.
"I don't like to talk about hypotheticals," Arbeloa said. "What the victory here 12 years ago meant deserves so much credit, just like Carlo [Ancelotti]'s or [Zinedine] Zidane's later on. But Mourinho laid the foundations for those years.
"That's something I feel. I believe he's always been valued within the club. And that's why he was, is, and always will be one of us."
