Arbeloa: Mourinho made me fearless

Real Madrid defender Alvaro Arbeloa has revealed former coach Jose Mourinho made him braver and more determined to defend the honour of his club.

Arbeloa has been involved in various wars of words with Barcelona's Gerard Pique, and the player has revealed it was Mourinho, who was Madrid boss from 2010 to 2013, who encouraged him to speak his mind.

"Surely the treatment of the press towards me has been very different, but Mou has helped me not only in football, but personally," Arbeloa told Marca.

"He helped me not be afraid to say what you think, not to be afraid to defend your club. That is a legacy that Jose left on me and for what I will always be grateful."

The 33-year-old is likely to leave Madrid at the end of the season, meaning the game against Valencia on Sunday could be his last appearance at the Bernabeu. 

At the moment he is not sure what the future holds, but he knows he wants to continue playing.

"Keep playing, I have it clear. I am here to stay," he added.

"I love to train and play and want to continue until I drop.

"One of the things I wanted to do is have my head in Madrid until the end and I succeeded. I have nothing, I know nothing about where I'll be next year."

Arbeloa could leave with a bang, with the club in the Champions League final and still battling for La Liga.