Former Real Madrid youngster compares coach to Pep Guardiola, backs him to replace Carlo Ancelotti

In recent days, it has been reported that Iker Bravo will not be staying at Real Madrid beyond his current loan, which expires at the end of this month. Los Blancos had the chance to sign the 19-year-old striker permanently from Bayer Leverkusen, but opted to activate the buyout clause in his loan deal with the Bundesliga champions.

Bravo spent the last two seasons at Real Madrid, although neither campaign proved too fruitful. 2023-24 started with promise, but earlier this year, he was demoted by Castilla to the U19, after being unfancied by Raul Gonzalez.

Bravo thrived in the U19s, and developed a great relationship with his coach, Alvaro Arbeloa. The teenager believed that Arbeloa has the potential to be Real Madrid manager in the future, as he said Brand.

“Arbeloa knows a lot about football. To make you understand and without comparison, he is a bit like Guardiola, in the sense of being a “mad” football player. He understands tactics very well, knowing how to press and looking for ways to attack depending on how he plays the opponent. Above all, that emotional intelligence of knowing how to manage the players, a maid like that of the first team would bring it to perfection. Now Ancelotti is doing very well, but in a few years I see him in the first team.

“I want to thank Arbeloa in capital letters for everything he did for me. He wasn't going to teach me how to shoot, but he was going to teach me how to deal with frustrations, how to deal in a locker room or how to act.”

Arbeloa is highly valued in the interior Real Madrid, and is sure to have a realistic chance to be the first team leader in the future. It may not come when Ancelotti steps aside, as the expectation is that Xabi Alonso could arrive from Leverkusen, the opposite route that Bravo will take this summer.