Real Madrid has announced the departure of manager Xabi Alonso following their Spanish Super Cup final loss to rivals Barcelona. Speculation has not gone away about the ex-midfielder’s position at Los Blancos, with reports suggesting the 44-year-old was not an entirely popular figure in the dressing room. Now, Madrid state Alonso has left by “mutual consent.”
Less than a day after Madrid went down to a dramatic 3-2 loss to Barcelona in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Los Blancos have decided to move on from the former Bayer Leverkusen manager – who only joined the Spanish outfit last summer. The Santiago Bernabéu club stressed this was a “mutual agreement” between Madrid and Alonso, and wished the Spaniard well in the future.
The statement reads: “Real Madrid CF announces that, by mutual agreement between the club and Xabi Alonso, it has been decided to end his time as first team coach. Xabi Alonso will always have the affection and admiration of all Madrid fans because he is a Real Madrid legend and has always represented the values of our club. Real Madrid will always be his home. Our club thanks Xabi Alonso and his entire technical team for their work and dedication during this time, and wishes them the best of luck in this new stage of their lives.”
Real Madrid star forward Kylian Mbappé wished Alonso well following his departure, saying: “It’s been short but it was a pleasure to play for you and learn from you. Thank you for giving me the confidence since Day 1 … I will remember you as a manager who had clear ideas and knows many things about football. Best of luck for your next chapter.”
Writing on the wall for Alonso
When Madrid beat rivals Barcelona in late October, they were sitting pretty at the top of La Liga. They were five points clear of the fiercest adversaries, and it seemed Alonso had Los Blancos purring. But a poor run of form has seen them struggle in the Champions League, and now they are four points adrift of Barça. For more than a month now, questions have been raised about Alonso’s future at the club, with reports suggesting they may turn to former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp if things didn’t work out for the Spaniard. Moreover, the noise of dressing room unrest and players not fully buying into Alonso’s approach have not helped his cause either. Back in November, he admitted that being in charge of such a big club can take its toll.
“It’s demanding. I’m not the first coach that has to deal with these kinds of situations. I think about what Carlo [Ancelotti] or Mou[rinho] would do, [Manuel] Pellegrini too. It isn’t new. You have to know how to live with it,” he said.
Now, he won’t have such demands to deal with.
Who will replace Alonso?
Moments after the Alonso bombshell, Madrid announced that Alvaro Arbeloa will succeed Alonso in the dugout. He has been coaching the club’s B team with some success, and now he is getting, arguably, the biggest coaching job of them all.
Los Blancos said: “Real Madrid C. F. announces that Alvaro Arbeloa is the new coach of the first team. Alvaro Arbeloa has been the coach of Castilla since June 2025, and has spent his entire career as a coach in the Real Madrid youth academy, since 2020. He coached the Infantil A in the 2020-2021 season, proclaiming himself league champion, the Cadete A in 2021-2022 and the Juvenil A from 2022 to 2025. As coach of the Juvenil A, he won the treble in 2022-2023 (League, Copa del Rey and Champions Cup) and La Liga in the 2024-2025 season.
“As a player, Alvaro Arbeloa was part of Real Madrid in one of the most successful stages of its history. He defended our shirt between 2009 and 2016, in 238 official matches. During that time he won 8 titles: 2 European Cups, 1 Club World Cup, 1 European Super Cup, 1 League, 2 Copa del Rey and 1 Spanish Super Cup. With the Spanish national team, Alvaro Arbeloa was also part of a historic era, in which he won the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and 2 European Championships (2008 and 2012). He was capped 56 times.”
What next for Real Madrid?
Madrid don’t have long to dwell on this turn of events as they are gearing up for six games in just over two weeks. Between Wednesday and the start of February, Arbeloa’s men have a Copa del Rey tie, two Champions League fixtures, and three La Liga games.
First up, they are away to Albacete in the last 16 of the Copa del Rey.
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