Courtois calls Xabi Alonso sacking unfair after 34 matches at Real Madrid
Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has called Xabi Alonso's sacking "unfair," saying the manager paid the price for poor results after just 34 official matches in charge. Alonso was dismissed in January following a 3–2 defeat to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final, with former teammate Álvaro Arbeloa appointed as replacement. Alonso has since taken the Chelsea job in the Premier League.
Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of Belgium's Nations League clash with Turkey, Courtois said: "It's not fair. I think that is always how it works in football: when results aren't good, the manager is the first to pay the price." The Belgian keeper, who previously played for both Chelsea and Atlético Madrid, knows the pressure of elite clubs firsthand.
Alonso's exit highlights the brutal reality at Real Madrid—even club legends get minimal runway. The Spaniard won the Champions League as a player and was seen as a long-term project, but 34 matches proved insufficient. Now at Chelsea, he faces a different kind of rebuild in England's top flight.
Will Alonso's Chelsea tenure last longer than his Madrid stint, or is the Premier League an even faster trigger for managerial changes?