Álvaro Arbeloa admitted it's been "a difficult four months" for Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior, but backed the pair to deliver for Real Madrid after the team's 1-0 win at Sevilla on Sunday.
Vinícius scored the game's only goal in the 15th minute at the Sánchez Pizjuán, while Mbappé played 90 minutes after a week which saw him miss last weekend's Clásico through injury, and then be whistled by the Bernabéu crowd in midweek.
Arbeloa and Mbappé's relationship was in the spotlight after Madrid's 2-0 victory over Real Oviedo on Thursday, when Mbappé claimed he'd been told he was the team's "fourth-choice forward," by the coach, a claim denied by Arbeloa.
"I'm very satisfied with both of them, with their effort," Arbeloa said in his post-match news conference on Sunday.
"I've been here for four months, and I think they've both tried to give their best, each one with their own difficulties. It's been a difficult four months for everyone, including them."
Mbappé has scored 24 league goals for Madrid this season -- in an otherwise underwhelming campaign which has seen the team miss out on major trophies for the second campaign in a row -- while Vinicius' form improved dramatically under Arbeloa, after clashing with the coach's predecessor Xabi Alonso.
"They're two players that any team in the world would want," Arbeloa said. "If they could, any team would have them in their squad. They're two of the five most game-changing players in the world, for sure.
"Real Madrid is lucky to have both of them. Today it was Vini's turn to score a goal, but Kylian did a great job, and it's a shame he couldn't score one too."
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Arbeloa said Vinicius had been substituted "with some discomfort" but said there were "no serious" injuries to report, with defender Dean Huijsen suffering "a knock." Madrid will host Athletic Club next weekend in their last game of the season.
"It's the last match, also a day of farewells for some players," Arbeloa said. "We'll try to play a great game in front of our fans. And that goes for me too."
