EXCLUSIVE: Ivan Helguera holds Arbeloa responsible for Mbappe difficulties, states Spain can win the World Cup

Ivan, welcome. Many thanks for agreeing to this interview. You signed for Real Madrid in 1999 and were part of a truly iconic era at the club. What recollections do you have of that period?

"Oh, wonderful. It was a dream come true to join Real Madrid, wasn't it? I had always dreamed of playing for Real Madrid since I was a child.

"Moreover, as you mentioned, it was a fantastic period with excellent teammates. Many of us were Spanish, so we communicated very well. We had a truly enjoyable time. Staying eight years at Real Madrid is no mean feat for any footballer, and I believe I rank 35th or 36th in terms of appearances in the club's history. I am proud of that. Those were marvellous times."

What was the most challenging aspect of representing Real Madrid?

"Well, the most difficult part comes when you first arrive. Immediately you understand what it means to wear the Real Madrid jersey. At the start, I felt a lot of pressure, didn't I? I was very young, and it wasn't easy. Also, I was surrounded by many exceptionally talented players.

"Initially, you are very cautious, nervous, and facing many difficulties. But gradually, you gain confidence and realise they are all human beings, all very kind people. Practically everyone helped me, and little by little, you just let your football flow and things work out."

I wanted to ask you about those players: greats like Raul, Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane, Roberto Carlos, David Beckham, Iker Casillas. What was that dressing room really like? Was it harmonious?

"Well, I arrived when many of these players were not yet there. I came under president Lorenzo Sanz, who signed me. There were also many stars, but perhaps they were less talked about. (Clarence) Seedorf was a star for me. Fernando Redondo was a star. Fernando Hierro, Raul, (Fernando) Morientes. I think certain players who have contributed greatly to Real Madrid are somewhat forgotten.

"And regarding the players you mention, obviously Figo was world class, Zidane was incredible, Ronaldo, Beckham... Yes, it's true that people remember the Galacticos era a lot, because bringing all those players together was amazing, but there have been other impressive players, like those I mentioned, who are not spoken about as much, right?

"I think that... many of the players I talk about, when I arrived at Real Madrid, have done more than others who are more famous."

Were there distinct groups, Ivan? For example, Brazilians with Brazilians, Spaniards with Spaniards...

"Yes, there were, but that is normal. It is the same as when I arrived in Italy. It's natural that Italians speak Italian and get on better because they share customs, have lived certain moments in Italy, and have been there since they were young and when they are older. It is the most normal thing in the world for them to bond with each other.

"It happened with the Spaniards, and it happened when there were several Brazilians. There was Baptista, there was Robinho too, eh? Roberto Carlos, Ronaldo. Of course Brazilians get together; it is the most natural thing in the world. But that does not mean they did not get along with the others, does it? It is just a bit natural."

I suppose you attended many parties and celebrations for titles as well? Is that possible?

"Yes, but that's normal. We were young and liked to go out.

"I, in fact, went out as much as others, but you know the times when you can go out and when you cannot. I mean, we played on a Saturday, we won, so of course you could go for a drink if you were not playing the Champions League on Tuesday.

"What happens is that people immediately confuse the terms, don't they? 'I saw you go out.' Yes, but I can go out because I am young and because it is no problem for me to go out on a Saturday if I do not have to play until the following Sunday."

Kylian Mbappe's situation with Alvaro Arbeloa and the front four... From your experience, how should a coach handle this situation?

"It is not about how you have managed this situation or how you will manage it, sorry. It is about how you managed the team before. What caused this to happen? It is that you did not manage very well earlier. From my perspective, everything was always fine; Arbeloa has always been to blame...

"But also, whoever put Arbeloa there, Arbeloa was in a reserve team, straight away, and had been there for five months. It is not like he was doing too well. We cannot know if he is good, bad, or average as a coach. And straight away, he manages a team like Real Madrid.

"So, I do not think it is just Arbeloa who has managed badly; I just think he has never faced these things and has obviously made mistakes. And a lot. But also those who put him there, right?"

Do you think it is more difficult to manage Real Madrid now than before, for example, in your time?

"No, no, the same... The egos, the behaviour, the way the players are, it is absolutely the same. History always tells you, not only in football, how we are going to act and what will happen in the future. And... in the past, Real Madrid's dressing room was just as difficult as it is now."

Maybe you do not want to get involved, but your candidate, your number one favourite to coach Real Madrid, who would it be?

"For me, without a doubt, but I do not think he will want to coach, it is Jurgen Klopp. Because tactically, I like him a lot, because he puts a lot of intensity into his teams, he knows how to manage this type of situation a lot, he has shown it in many good teams and not so good teams. For me, Jurgen Klopp would be the ideal coach."

There is a lot of talk about Jose Mourinho possibly returning to Real Madrid. Is such a coach, with a stricter style, what the club needs at the moment?

"This kind of thing has always happened, that a coach has not had, in inverted commas, a strong hand. I do not think you need a strong hand; it does not come into it.

"It has always happened: when the team is doing badly in February, physically the team is very bad and so on, because they lose games, right? These are cliches that we should get rid of. Hey, because if you win, the physical training does not even exist. But if you lose, then physical preparation (is a problem)...

"We need a good coach who can manage the great team we have and who knows how to do things well, no more and no less. It is not that now no one will be able to move and everything will be military.

"And Jose Mourinho, he has been a great coach. He has proved it in many places, but it is true that he has not coached at a top level for many years. So, that worries me a bit.

"And that they want him to have a strong hand, well, I do not think that because Mourinho is coming, he is going to have to have an iron fist with everything that happens in Real Madrid. You have to manage the group well, and that is it. Can he do it? Yes, because he has coached in many places.

"But it is also true that he has not coached at high levels for a long time, and... Well, in that respect, I do not know if he will be suitable now."

And what has to change first? The tactics, the style of play, the dressing room?

"No, you cannot change Real Madrid now, OK? The coach cannot change Real Madrid. You have to know what Real Madrid is. Real Madrid is a team and a serious club that knows at all times that competing is the most important thing, and winning is the most important thing, but it has certain values and principles. You cannot now get involved with the iron fist.

"We are going crazy, in inverted commas, because Barcelona have won. No, there is nothing wrong. Real Madrid always come back, and Real Madrid have gone thirty-odd years without winning the Champions League, and it has always been a dream of Real Madrid at all times. Playing well, La Quinta del Buitre (the homegrown generation of the 80s) did not win the Champions League... But we were proud of that team. They fought, they worked hard, but there was a great AC Milan, there was a great PSV, but we were proud of those semi-finals that Real Madrid made. That is Real Madrid too, even if they do not win. That is being lost right now.

"From my point of view, then, you have to have certain principles and certain values that Real Madrid have always had, even without winning."

Let us talk a little bit about the national team. The 2010 World Cup generation was wonderful; do you see similarities with the current one?

"Look, from my point of view, Spain have one problem: that, for me, they are too much of a favourite.

"Spain, for me, is by far the best team in the world. In terms of their style of play, pretty much the same. On top of that, all the players get on quite well, as far as I can see, because the coach knows how to do it quite well. In other words, everything points to it being a World Cup in which Spain can do something important. And that, in my opinion, is the problem. The pressure, the fact that we let ourselves get carried away because perhaps it seems, in inverted commas, that we have not been drawn in a difficult group.

"In the end, a World Cup is very difficult. Just one bad game and you are out. So you have to be very good, but Spain has a very good team. In my opinion, right now, perhaps the best team in the world."

If we take out Lamine Yamal, because we know he is a star, which Spanish player excites you the most?

"There are so many, there are so many. For me, it is a shame that (Nico) Williams is injured. For me, he is another very important player, because there are no players now who get away from full-backs so easily, right? That gives you a lot.

"Players like Vinicius, like Williams, like Lamine Yamal, there are very few nowadays, because tactically they have improved a lot. There is a lot of help for the full-backs. But even so, these players have a very, very great ability and I like this type of player very much."

Do you see Pedri as the successor to Xavi and Andres Iniesta as the conductor of the orchestra?

"It is not that I see him, it is that he already is. Pedri already is.

"Maybe Pedri was overpraised at the beginning; he was very young and had very good ball control, but, in my opinion, he was not Iniesta or Xavi, OK? So, he was overpraised. I think that is where a lot of Pedri's injuries came from. Because, as well as playing a lot of games, he was under too much pressure. He wanted to be Iniesta and Xavi when he was 20, did he not?

Now he is in a calmer state. Now we are really enjoying Pedri. Now he really is that Iniesta or Xavi, eh? But I think a lot of pressure has been taken off him by many players who have come from the youth system, and that is very good for Pedri, because before everything had to be done by Pedri, and I think he was under too much pressure."

How do you see the competition in goal for the national team? Who do you consider to be the number one?

"I mean, they are all very good goalkeepers, are they not? But from my point of view, I think Joan (Garcia) has had an impressive season. (David) Raya too, but Arsenal have dropped a bit more in the last few games and Barcelona have not.

"I think that Joan (should play), simply because of the season he is having, because in the end, the one who is doing well this year is the one who should end up playing, from my point of view. But, well, all the goalkeepers who are going are fantastic."

Q: How far can Spain go in this World Cup?

"Without a doubt, they are one of the favourites.

"Anything can happen in a World Cup; the draw is very important. You meet Brazil, and they play very well too, do they not? I think Spain, in terms of control and level of play, are a lot better than Brazil, but they are very good on the ball too, are they not?

France and Germany, you can never count them out. I have always liked England, but in the end, they never make it.

"It is not easy, a World Cup is not easy. In one match, you can go to ruin or you can be world champion. But Spain is one of the best by far."