Dani Ceballos and Alvaro Arbeloa have drawn a line. The player asked for distance, and the club has respected that. The relationship is simply broken.
"I have asked the coach not to have a relationship," Dani Ceballos said goodbye to Real Madrid a week ago. He continues training, but he is no longer one of the group. He works with the team, but he is left out of matchday squads.
That will be the case until the end of the season, unless the club decides to reverse its decision. Something that, given the circumstances, is more than unlikely. The "Ceballos case" opened last Friday after he was left out of the squad against Betis, and it will not close. There is no turning back. The next step will be his departure from Real Madrid.
Everything was triggered after a conversation with Alvaro Arbeloa. Ceballos arrived at Valdebebas last Thursday, went into the coach's office, came out, and then, in the locker room with his teammates, he acknowledged that he had asked the coach not to have any kind of relationship.
The player insinuated that there was something personal between him and Arbeloa and that he believed he would no longer be called up for further matches. A warning about what had happened justified his desire not to influence the group, as he greatly respected all his teammates. The team received the unexpected news, but so many things have happened this season that, in reality, nothing is surprising anymore.
Arbeloa and Ceballos had a conversation in the coach's office at the player's initiative. An unpleasant face-to-face meeting that the club was informed about. Real Madrid, the last thing it wanted was to give rise to another "fire," but the club has decided to respect the coach's decision as it usually does in these cases.
Not only that, there was not the slightest attempt or proposal by either party to hide or "whitewash" the reality. The club itself took care of informing that the player was left off the list for technical reasons. No filters, and with all that this entailed, fueling the controversy around the team.
Beyond the specific incident, the club believes that the player has sought a conflict for the future to seek an exit and justify his lack of minutes. For the player, the situation was so unbearable and difficult to handle that he could not hold out until the end of the season.
The incident last Thursday was not the first clash between Arbeloa and Ceballos. Coach and player had already had one some time ago, which lingered until the final falling-out last week, when everything exploded.
Ceballos has not played a single minute since returning from injury in early April, and he will not. His minutes against Osasuna on Feb. 21, with an error that led to the second goal, will be his last as a Real Madrid player.
Ceballos' situation at Real Madrid had already reached a point of no return. The player had decided to leave after another season marked by inconsistency and lack of prominence, capped off in its final stretch by another injury and a conflict with the coach. At 29 and with a contract until 2027 after his renewal in 2023, the Sevillian midfielder was clear that this was his last year at the club.
The club thinks the same, and only an agreement is needed. Ceballos' departure will free up salary mass and create space for new signings or the consolidation of young talents who, this season, are shining in their own right and fit what the club is looking for.
In this scenario, Ceballos and Real Madrid are forced to reach an understanding. Last summer, the player was close to leaving, but negotiations with Olympique de Marseille fell through at the last minute.
Looking ahead to Ceballos' departure, Betis remains the most attractive emotional and sporting destination for the player. However, the operation will not be simple. It will depend on economic conditions and salary margin.
Beyond Betis, the appearance of other clubs is not ruled out, both in LaLiga and in foreign leagues, in light of a possible market opportunity. The player's sporting and contractual situation makes him an interesting opportunity.
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