In July 2026, the Club announced the appointment of Álvaro Arbeloa as the new Head Coach of Fulham on a three-year deal, tying him to Craven Cottage until the summer of 2029.

The coach

Arbeloa’s first taste of coaching came back at the Club where he spent so much of his playing career, when Florentino Perez brought him in to lead Real Madrid’s Under-14 side.

After winning the league title in his first season, Arbeloa was promoted to coach the Under-16s, though he quickly moved up to look after the 19s, where he won the treble – La Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions Cup – in his maiden campaign.

Having won the league again in 2024/25, Arbeloa was named as the coach of Castilla, Real Madrid’s famed B side, replacing club legend Raúl who had held the position for the previous six years.

Building a team that valued an aggressive press, defensive nous, and attractive football, Arbeloa spoke of how he looks to incorporate qualities of all the coaches he worked under. There are some big names in that list, too – the likes of Rafael Benitez, Zinedine Zidane, Manuel Pellegrini, Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti.

Arbeloa was only at Castilla for half a season before he was called upon to take charge of the Real Madrid first team, following the departure of Xabi Alonso – a man he will meet again on the touchline in Fulham’s season opener against Chelsea at Craven Cottage.

During his time at the helm, he led them a second-place finish in La Liga, though the highlight of his spell in charge at the Bernabéu will surely be the 5-1 aggregate victory over Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the Champions League.

The player

After time spent in the youth system at Real Zaragoza, Arbeloa joined Real Madrid at the age of 18, making his senior debut three years later in a 1-1 draw away to Real Betis in La Liga. He came off the bench to line up alongside Iker Casillas, Roberto Carlos, Zinedine Zidane, Raúl, Ronaldo, Luis Figo and Michael Owen.

His first start for Los Blancos came later in the season, when he shared a right-flank with David Beckham in a 3-0 victory over local rivals Atletico Madrid.

A permanent transfer to Deportivo de La Coruña followed, but he was only there for half a season before his performances attracted the attentions of Liverpool – a campaign that ended with him picking up a Champions League runners-up medal after replacing former Fulham defender Steve Finnan in their 2-1 loss to AC Milan in Athens.

After 98 appearances for the club, Arbeloa was signed for a second time by Rafael Benitez, who was now in charge at Real Madrid – and the full-back went on to win no fewer than eight trophies during his time back in the Spanish capital.

Two Champions League and two Copa del Rey triumphs apiece, in addition to winning La Liga, the Club World Cup, UEFA Super Cup and Spanish Super Cup, mark one of the most successful periods in Real’s history, with Arbeloa more than playing his part with 238 appearances.

On the international front, Arbeloa enjoyed success that most players could only dream of, with his 56 caps for Spain including two European Championship wins, one either side of his nation winning the World Cup for the first time in 2010.

A brief spell back in the Premier League followed with West Ham United, taking him to 100+ matches in the competition, before he announced his retirement from playing at the age of 34.