After one former Reds player defeated the other during a youth match in Spain, the two set off an on-field brawl over the weekend.
During the Rafa Benitez era, Alvaro Arbeloa and Fernando Torres had a great two years together at Anfield, culminating in a second-place finish in 2008/09 after pushing Man United all the way.
Since hanging up their boots, both have entered the field of academy management; Arbeloa is currently the coach of Real Madrid’s youth squad, and Torres works in the same capacity at Atletico Madrid.
In May, at the youngsters’ Madrid derby against their old clubs, the two got into a fight. Torres threatened his former teammate, shouting, “I’ll blow your head off!”
It appears that the two are still at odds when they get together to provide awkward moments in a traditionally heated fixture.
Arbeloa chose to exit the pitch as soon as the final whistle blew, declining to shake hands with his compatriot Torres, after Torres’ team won 2-1.
The Real Madrid players then appeared to take issue with some of their opponents’ celebrations, leading to a brawl on the pitch.
Even though it’s still only at the young level, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid have a deep rivalry that once again erupted in the technical area on Sunday.
Arbeloa oversaw Real Madrid’s youth team from 2020 until his retirement from sport in 2017. He had a brief stint with West Ham in 2017.
In 2019, Torres announced the end of his playing career and went back to the team he played for two stints to start his coaching career.
Regardless of the level at which they entered management, it seems that despite their common allegiances to club and nation, there is no love lost between the two!
Torres was sent off during the May match, and it doesn’t seem like the friendship has returned to a level that justifies small talk after the game.