Gerard Pique, the former Barca defender, publicly ridiculed Alvaro Arbeloa after Real Madrid suffered a shocking 2-3 defeat to Albacete in the Copa del Rey round of 16 on 14/1. Arbeloa, in his debut as Real Madrid's head coach, described the loss as "worse than a disaster". This defeat compounded Real Madrid's recent woes, following their 2-3 loss to Barca in the Spanish Super Cup final just days prior, which led to the dismissal of Xabi Alonso.

Arbeloa (in black) after Real Madrid lost 2-3 to Albacete in the Copa del Rey round of 16 on 14/1. Photo: EFE

Pique's mockery came on 15/1 during a live stream of the Kings League, a competition he organizes on Twitch. He sarcastically commented, "Good debut, 2-3", directly referencing Real Madrid's loss and Arbeloa's unfortunate start as coach of the Santiago Bernabeu club.

The Kings League live stream featured prominent Spanish content creators, including Spursito, DjMaRiio, and Adri Contreras. Reacting to Pique's comment, Spursito exclaimed, "Let this news spread across national and international headlines, Pique just laughed in Arbeloa's face!" DjMaRiio, a Real Madrid fan, expressed his outrage, stating, "Pique is too much! Unbelievable!"

The rivalry between Pique and Arbeloa dates back to their playing days, characterized by numerous clashes. Their animosity reached its peak during the intense El Clasico era, featuring Pep Guardiola's Barca and Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid.

A memorable moment in their feud occurred in 2015 when Pique stated, "Arbeloa keeps calling himself my friend, but he's just an acquaintance, a 'conocido' that I know." This remark immediately caused a media storm in Spain and remains a legendary anecdote.

Pique's comment involved clever wordplay in Spanish. While "conocido" means a casual acquaintance, Pique intentionally split the word during his statement into "cono" and "cido." "Cono" refers to the plastic cones used in training, which was also a nickname for Arbeloa, implying that the defender merely served as a training dummy for Real Madrid.

Arbeloa (center) and Pique during an El Clasico match between 2009 and 2016. Photo: Marca

Arbeloa had previously retaliated during the most heated period of the El Clasico rivalry, quipping, "The day will come when I see Pique performing comedy at a comedy club, specializing in making fun of Real Madrid. Even Barca's 10 most successful years will never compare to Real Madrid's rich history." In 2017, Arbeloa concluded, "I will never dine with Pique."