You have just started your seventh straight campaign with Real Madrid. How are you handling it? I'm more excited than ever. I'm really eager and delighted to be able to enjoy being a Real Madrid player for yet another year.

How has Álvaro Arbeloa evolved during this time on both a professional and a personal level? On the personal side of things, I have become a father of two and I'm hoping to have my third child this year. The family is getting a lot bigger and it's obvious that the years of experience force you to view life differently; they make you grow up as a person. You're always trying to improve yourself. As a professional, over these six years I've won everything a footballer could win both with the Spanish national team as well as with Real Madrid, so I can't complain.

What has belonging to this club and its history meant for you, and what does it mean now? I always say that the three greatest things that can happen to a footballer are: training in the Real Madrid jersey, playing in the Real Madrid jersey and winning in the Real Madrid jersey. I have the good fortune to perform one of this things every day by coming to Valdebebas, and I'm becoming more aware all the time about what it all means. I have a lot of friends playing with big European teams and I'm well aware that Valdebebas is a special place. Year after year Real Madrid is considered to be the world's most prestigious club. We are number one in terms of revenue and are role models when it comes to our commitment to social responsibility, which we demonstrate year after year, and that makes you feel extremely proud. Behind all that is the great work being carried out by the president and the Board of Directors, who ensure that Real Madrid is model organisation, not just among other football teams but among all of the world's sporting bodies. As a Real Madrid player that should not be forgotten. Sometimes it's easy to forget, but it needs to be said loud and clear. I'm very proud of this club and to be part of it.

What has been your best moment with Real Madrid to date? I fondly remember the day I made my debut. For all of us who have dreamed of becoming football players that is a special day, and for me it was particularly special. I got to make my debut in a team packed full of star names, players who were my idols at the time, like Raúl, Zidane, Figo, Roberto Carlos, Ronaldo… It was a dream team. And along with that is the day we won la Décima. Those are the two I think about the most.

And what day are you still waiting to experience? At the moment I want for every day spent at this club to be the best. I'm trying to work on that each day, enjoying every second I spend at Real Madrid. I hope tomorrow is the best day yet, and that the next one is even better, and so on.

Additionally, this season you have teamed up with Rafa Benítez again. How have these first few weeks with him been? They've been great. Once it became known that he was going to return, everyone started asking me about him and I made it clear: Rafa is a very methodical coach, a very hard worker, highly demanding and I assure you that we are going to become better players and a better team through hard work and effort. He has gotten off to a very good start. While you might hear that certain people aren't happy with him or that he shows more affection to certain players, for me, at this stage of the game, nothing surprises me anymore. It doesn't matter which manager we have because there will always be people out there looking to portray an image of the team that isn't true. The team is more united than ever. Following a year in which we failed to meet the targets we set for ourselves, we know this year is very important for us and we have to be extremely united. We're not going to get any help from outside, but that's not news for us.

Are there any differences between this Rafa Benítez and the manager you had at Liverpool? It's clear that he is a better coach now after six years, during which time he has accumulated experience with other clubs and of other leagues. In order to manage Real Madrid you have to be one of the best managers in the world and Rafa meets that criteria. Over those six years he has improved personally and professionally.

Am I right in saying that it was Rafa Benítez who first played you as a right back, a position from which you have enjoyed your greatest achievements? Yes, Rafa might be the manager to have left the biggest mark on my career. Not just because of the opportunity he gave me by allowing me to play for Liverpool, which is such a unique club and was a very important one during that period, as we were always fighting to win the Premier League, the Champions League... Not only did he give me that opportunity, which led to me playing for the Spanish national team and, most importantly, joining Real Madrid, but he also changed my position. Ever since then I'm still playing there and thanks to God it has gone very well for me.

You have won everything with Real Madrid as well as with the national team. Where does a player like Álvaro Arbeloa get his motivation from now? Winning motivates me. In every game we play, even the ones in training, we're hoping to reach the deciding game so we can win. I think that ambition goes hand-in-hand with this crest and every Real Madrid player needs to have it. It's impossible to triumph at Real Madrid if you don't have that ambition to win. I think that drive grows bigger as the years go by.