AS.com

Real Madrid full-back Álvaro Arbeloa spoke to the press today from Spain's training ground in Las Rozas and assured Cristiano Ronaldo that he has the backing of the team.

"I don't know what's happened to Cristiano," said Arbeloa.

"We found out what he said after the game and it was as much a surprise to us as it was to everyone else. We are a family at Real Madrid and we will support him as much as we can, as we will do with Özil, Essien, or anyone else."

"I haven't heard him talk about money, about staying on at the club for longer or about wanting to leave. He knows that he's at the best team in the world, and that's where a player like Cristiano should be. He's a phenomenon, he's our star player and I hope he's going to stay at Madrid for many years to come. If he thinks he isn't appreciated enough by us then we'll show him that he is. I have a very good relationship with him, and as far as I know, so do all the other players."

Arbeloa rejected the suggestion that Cristiano had nothing to complain about in comparison with many Spaniards affected by the economic crisis. "Although it's true that he does not have the problems that many Spaniards have, he has other reasons to not be happy, and he's a reasonable guy. Cristiano is a person like everyone else, and he has good moments and bad moments, and everyone is entitled to be upset sometimes, no-one can be happy 365 days of the year.

"He knows that he's at the best team in the world," Arbeloa reiterated, "and I hope he stays here until he retires. We're all going to help him, the players, the club and the fans. I don't think the fans have been too upset by this, I hope they haven't. His words have had a lot of repercussions. Perhaps he needs everyone's support, I'm not sure why, but if that's the case we will give it to him."