Real Madrid sack Xabi Alonso after seven months, appoint Arbeloa as new head coach

Xabi Alonso has left his role as head coach of Real Madrid after just seven months in charge, with the club announcing Alvaro Arbeloa as his immediate replacement.

Real Madrid confirmed Alonso’s departure on Monday, a day after their defeat to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia. The club said the decision to part ways with the former midfielder was reached by “mutual agreement”.

Alonso exits with Madrid second in LaLiga, four points behind leaders Barcelona at the halfway stage of the season. Los Blancos are also seventh in the Champions League table, having won four of their six matches and lost two.

In a statement, the club paid tribute to Alonso’s legacy, noting his status as a former player and club legend.

“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,” the statement read.

The club thanked Alonso and his technical crew for their service and wished them success in the next phase of their careers.

Alonso was appointed last summer to replace Carlo Ancelotti after an outstanding spell at Bayer Leverkusen, where he guided the club to a historic Bundesliga and German Cup double in 2024. He had previously been linked with the Liverpool job following Jürgen Klopp’s announcement to step down but opted to remain in Germany for another season before taking over at the Bernabéu.

His successor, Alvaro Arbeloa, has been head coach of Real Madrid Castilla since the start of the current campaign and has spent the past six years working within the club’s academy structure.

The 42-year-old enjoyed notable success with the club’s Juvenil A (Under-19) side, leading them to a treble in the 2022 – 23 season – winning the league, Copa del Rey and Champions Cup – before securing another league title last season.

Arbeloa, a former Real Madrid defender, was a team-mate of Alonso at Madrid, Liverpool and the Spain national team, where both enjoyed distinguished playing careers.

Alonso’s abrupt exit has already sparked debate about his readiness for elite management, with critics pointing to Madrid’s failure to close the gap on Barcelona and the Super Cup loss as factors that made his position untenable.

Despite his decorated playing career and rapid rise in coaching, questions remain over whether Alonso’s football philosophy was suited to Real Madrid, and whether it would translate successfully to other European giants should he return to management soon.