Position: Defender
Squad number: 17
Date of birth: 17.01.83.
Birth place: Salamanca, Spain
Former clubs: Real Madrid C, Real Madrid Castilla, Real Madrid, Deportivo de la Coruna
Transfer fee: £2.5m Spanish defender Alvaro Arbeloa joined Liverpool in January 2007 following a spell at La Liga outfit Deportivo de la Coruna, signing for a fee of around £2.5m. Arbeloa is a product of Real Madrid’s youth system, signing for the team at the age of 16. The defender played at three different tiers of the club, including the full side, second and third reserve teams. The majority of Arbeloa’s Madrid football was spent playing in the Real Madrid Castilla side, Real’s reserve team who currently play in the Segunda Division B, where he notched up fifty appearances between 2003 and 2006. Spanish reserve teams are allowed to play in the conventional league system, unlike their English counterparts, meaning that Castilla played at a level equivalent to League One in England. Craving first team football, Arbeloa left for La Liga side Deportivo de la Coruna halfway through the 2006-2007 campaign He cited the difficulty which home-grown players, in the face of competition from the cream of the worlds’ top footballers, have in breaking through to a regular place in the first team squad as his reason for leaving the Bernabeu. After signing for Deportivo, it wasn’t long before Arbeloa’s quality attracted the attention of Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez, who recruited the defender after just 20 games and half a season at the Spanish club. Arbeloa previously worked under Benitez whilst part of the Real Madrid youth team. The player’s first full debut came against former rivals Barcelona in a Champions League clash, where his staunch defence and cool containment of dangerous striker Lionel Messi helped Liverpool to an unlikely 2-1 victory over the reigning champions. Liverpool managed the feat once more on the home leg, putting the side into the quarter finals of the contest. | 
