Andrey Arshavin is well past his playing days, but when Real Madrid enter the conversation, he still speaks like someone who has skin in the game. In a recent appearance on Russia’s Match TV, the former
Zenit and Arsenal midfielder was asked about Madrid’s new era under Álvaro Arbeloa.
“As a Barcelona fan, I hope Arbeloa fails,” Arshavin said, bluntly and without hesitation.
This type of statement is something Arshavin has been making for years. Despite never playing for the Catalan club, Arshavin has a long-standing affection for FC Barcelona.
And he’s the kind of guy that gets right to the point, and doesn’t focus on formations or squad balance, but on feelings.
“The key is connecting with the players, not drawing up systems,” he added, pointing to what he felt Xabi Alonso struggled to achieve before his exit from the Bernabéu.
Arshavin also sounded genuinely puzzled by Madrid’s position in La Liga. From his perspective, the performances have been poor enough that Barcelona should be further clear at the top.
Last October, Arshavin went viral after strolling into an official Real Madrid store wearing a Barcelona shirt with his own name on the back. The timing was deliberate, coming just days after Madrid had beaten Barça in the first Clásico of the season.
And prior to that, when linked with Madrid during his Arsenal years, Arshavin shut the door firmly. “I wouldn’t play for Madrid for all the money in the world,” he in his playing days, calling the club “a complete taboo.”
Earlier this season, ahead of a European match involving Kairat Almaty (where he finished his career) he was just as open: “Every Real Madrid defeat is like a balm for my heart.”
