Xabi Alonso has parted ways with Real Madrid, as announced by the club on Monday, following a challenging period that culminated in a 3-2 defeat to Barcelona in the Supercopa de España final held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The decision for Alonso to leave was reached “by mutual consent” between him and the club.
Alonso’s departure comes on the heels of a mixed string of results, which saw the team struggling with only two wins in their last eight matches prior to the holiday season. Despite recent improvements, including five victories leading up to the Clásico, the loss to their archrivals proved to be the final straw.
In their official statement, Real Madrid expressed gratitude towards Alonso: “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.” The club emphasized their appreciation for his contributions and wished him the best in his future endeavors.
Taking over as head coach is Álvaro Arbeloa, who has been coaching the club’s reserve team, Castilla. Arbeloa is familiar with the club’s culture, having started his playing career at Madrid before moving to Liverpool, where he played alongside Alonso. He returned to Madrid in 2009 and has been involved in coaching since 2020.
Alonso joined Real Madrid just this past summer, after a successful stint at Bayer Leverkusen, where he led the team to their first-ever Bundesliga title in 2024. His short tenure at Madrid began positively with a run to the semifinals in the Club World Cup, although the team ultimately suffered a heavy defeat to Paris Saint-Germain. The anticipation had been high as the season began well, with a stellar record of 13 wins out of 14 matches, including a victory over Barcelona in the first Clásico of the season.
Real Madrid is now looking towards a fresh start under Arbeloa, who will aim to stabilize the squad and improve their performance in upcoming fixtures. As the team transitions, fans remain hopeful that this change in leadership will lead to a stronger showing in both domestic and European competitions moving forward.