Sergio Arribas: From Real Madrid’s Castilla to Almería’s Rising Star

The best player in the 2022-2023 Primera RFEF now plays for Almería, sold by a Real Madrid team from which it was difficult for him to leave while he was looking for the dream of the Second Division with Raúl’s Castilla.

Now, after scoring 18 goals and giving 7 assists in the last season of the white subsidiary, with whom he was on the brink of promotion in Elda, Sergio Arribas (Leganés, 2001) welcomes Carlo Ancelotti’s team with the Andalusian team as springboard in his jump to the elite of professional football. Before facing his idols, talk to EL MUNDO.

If I’m not mistaken, it has become independent for the first time. Indeed, well, little by little I’m getting better and better (laughs). I arrived in Almería last Tuesday and the truth is that both the people and the colleagues are like a family.

After these last two years, it was time to make the leap to First Division, right? Yes, it was time to leave Madrid, at least to play in First Division, which is what I wanted. Almería came, they gave me the opportunity and I am very happy.

They had many offers. Why Almería? I have spoken a lot with Joao, the sports director. He insisted a lot on me coming, that they needed a player like me and that he was going to be very important this year.

It is what I needed to hear, I need to play minutes and gain experience. You were in a young team for its category, like Castilla, and you arrive at one that also has a young squad. Is it positive or negative?

We are a young staff, yes. Already in Castilla we were the youngest team and we were not bad at all. I think that this year we mix youth with experience, so let’s learn from them, from the details. I think it will be a nice year.

How hungry are you? Very hungry. I really wanted to go out to First. It seems that I have a lot of pressure but I see it the opposite. I love to play, have fun and it’s what I want to do. I want to continue like these last few years at Castilla. Do you feel that pressure? Because of the rumors, because he’s a Madrid youth player…

Well, maybe you can tell when you get to a place and they say ‘look, this is the Madrid boy’, but then that pressure goes away when you go out onto the field. I just want to do my best. What does your family say? Enjoy, be myself, get the best out of this season. They have been here with me these days and they will be here for the game.

I am a very familiar boy, I am very grateful to both my parents and my brother, and I have had the same circle of friends and partner for many years. I focus on them who are the ones that make me grow.

My parents are the ones who bring me down to earth, with my father I have had many talks returning from Valdebebas so that he would lower me from the cloud sometimes (laughs). The Madrid youth academy will be a whirlwind of sensations, right? That’s a bubble and you realize how big the club is when you leave.

Do you think he deserved more opportunities in the first team? Speaking of Madrid…. It is the best team, every year they sign the best players in their position. Because? I had offers to go to a First Division, but I spoke to the club and they told me that Castilla was going to make a strong team to try to get promoted, that we were going to follow the same.

I had stayed with the thorn of the Playoff against Ibiza and I accepted. I took it as a personal challenge, taking Castilla to the Second division, and we almost did it… Were you clear that it was going to be your last year or could it have been different with the promotion? I don’t know, honestly…. I was clear that I wanted to go out to First Division.

I don’t know if I would have been with the first team if I had been promoted.. Things happened like that, we didn’t get promoted and I didn’t want to spend another year in the RFEF First Division, I had to make the leap and try myself in the First Division. How important has Raúl been in your evolution?

What has he told you? He has been key in the last three years. As he was a player, he is a coach: very demanding. He is the ideal person to represent Real Madrid and at Castilla he is training players for the future, perhaps those who left were not so prepared before.

He always says that we realize that it is very difficult to play abroad, that it is difficult to reach First Division. I have to thank you for all the advice you have given me.

If it weren’t for Raúl, I don’t know if I would be here. He has insisted that I press, that with what I do in the First RFEF he is not going to give me for the First Division, that he knows me and knows that I can achieve it.

And that he will continue to see me, I take that into account… (laughs). What is the biggest difference between the First RFEF and the First Division? Well, look, I have been lucky enough to train with a team like Madrid…

It’s how fast the ball goes, the speed. In First with little they do you a lot of damage. And now it’s Madrid’s turn in their second game… It’s funny (laughs). It’s going to be weird, but very special.

I had been at the club for 11 years, I think I haven’t faced Madrid since I was young, in football 7. It will be special because I have played with many of them, I have shared a dressing room… Do you have any references?

Well, I have been lucky to be with them and I have always loved Isco and Modric. Training and playing with them has been amazing. Do you have any goals for this year? It’s my first year, I have to gain experience, grow as a player and as a person.

Hopefully I can score the ones I scored last season, but it’s going to be difficult, a good figure for the first year would be 10 (laughs).. Let’s talk about studies. I took my Bachelor’s degree and selectivity and then I entered CAFYD, but I left it after six months because I didn’t have time, I couldn’t go to class for training.

My first intention, if I don’t do well in football, was to study nursing or something related to health. Do you see more football or paddle tennis? They say that he likes the shovel… Soccer, soccer, but I also really like playing paddle tennis and watching it on television.