Former Liverpool player Alvaro Arbeloa left Real Madrid to sign for West Ham this summer.
The Spaniard signed a one-year contract with the London club, and made his league debut against Southampton in a 3-0 defeat.
Xabi Alonso, who played with Arbeloa at Liverpool and Real Madrid, has been speaking to Spanish newspaper Marca, and was asked about his departure from Real Madrid.
Alonso insists he is proud of the farewell Arbeloa received at Real Madrid, and he will return to the club one day.
He said: “Arbeloa is a great friend of mine and deserves the best. I was pleasantly satisfied and proud with the farewell that he received at Real Madrid.
“The president, his teammates and the Bernabeu gave him a farewell. He deserves it for everything he has given to the club. I have no doubt that he is a symbol of Real Madrid.
“He will return to club when he retires as a player through the front door because it is his rightful place.”
Alonso believes Arbeloa deserves to continue playing at the highest level, and that he expects him to do well at West Ham.
He added: “Now he deserves to keep playing at the highest level and it is doing at a great club, in the Premier League, and I have no doubt that his performance will be extraordinary. I‘m happy for him as a friend and as a professional.”
