MADRID (AP) — Álvaro Arbeloa confirmed what many soccer fans in Spain had taken for granted for weeks — he won’t be Real Madrid’s coach beyond the final game of the season on Saturday.
When asked in a press conference Friday if the game against Athletic Bilbao would be his last, Arbeloa said “yes.”
Arbeloa had been widely expected to be on his way out after he was unable to steer the team to a title this season following his promotion from the club’s reserve team in January to replace the fired Xabi Alonso.
Madrid lost to a second-division opponent in the Copa del Rey in Arbeloa’s debut. It then exited the Champions League quarterfinals to Bayern Munich, and will finish second in La Liga to Barcelona.
It was assumed that unless the team did spectacularly well under Arbeloa that he would be an interim coach until the club could find a better option in the offseason.
And so it is playing out, with Spanish media rife with reports that Madrid is seriously considering bringing back José Mourinho for a second stint 13 years after he coached the club.
Mourinho has coached Benfica this campaign but recently said he will decide his future soon.
Arbeloa, 43, said that he is will seek “new challenges” after having learned from his first major coaching job.
“I have already made the leap, improved greatly over these four months, and I feel prepared for new challenges,” Arbeloa said. “Starting Monday, I will think about them.”
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Real Madrid head coach Alvaro Arbeloa and Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick give instructions to the players, during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, May 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
Real Madrid's head coach Alvaro Arbeloa prior the Spanish La Liga soccer match against Sevilla at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium in Seville, Spain, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)
KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — A renowned Mount Everest guide who this week scaled the peak a record 32nd time urged authorities on Friday to limit climbers on the summit.
The number of climbers making the ascent on the 8,849-meter (29,032-foot) peak from the Nepalese side is higher this season because China has closed the route from Tibet. Everest can be scaled from either the southern side in Nepal or the northern side in China.
On Wednesday, 274 climbers reached the summit, the highest number on a single day from the Nepal side. A total of 494 climbers have been issued permits by Nepal’s mountaineering authorities and an equal number Sherpa guides are accompanying them.
“It was very crowded this year compared to last year,” Kami Rita Sherpa told reporters at Kathmandu airport after flying back from the mountain. “There is a need for authorities to control this number.”
Climbers only get a few windows of good weather to make their attempt on the summit. A large number of people waiting in a fixed rope line they are all clipped into increases the risks of a traffic jam and exposes the climbers to increased hours of harsh weather.
Kami Rita's closest competitor, Pasang Dawa Sherpa, scaled the peak for the 31st time on Friday, which was his second successful ascent this week.
Kami Rita, 56, first climbed Everest in 1994, and has been making the trip nearly every year since. He is one of many Sherpa guides whose expertise and skills are vital to the safety and success of foreign climbers aspiring to stand on top of the mountain each year.
His father was among the first Sherpa guides. In addition to Everest, Kami Rita has climbed other peaks that are among the world’s highest, including K2, Cho Oyu, Manaslu and Lhotse.
Renowned Sherpa mountain guide Kami Rita returning from Mount Everest after his record 32nd successful ascent, arrives at an airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
Renowned Sherpa mountain guide Kami Rita, second right, returns from Mount Everest after his record 32nd successful ascent at an airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
Son of renowned Sherpa mountain guide Kami Rita arrives to welcome his father returning from Mount Everest after his record 32nd successful ascent at an airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
Renowned Sherpa mountain guide Kami Rita returning from Mount Everest after his record 32nd successful ascent, is welcomed as he arrives at an airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
Renowned Sherpa mountain guide Kami Rita, center right, returning from Mount Everest after his record 32nd successful ascent is presented with shawls and flowers as he arrives at an airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
