Real Madrid sack Xabi Alonso, appoint Arbeloa as new coach
Real Madrid announced Xabi Alonso's departure as head coach on Monday, just one day after their 3-2 defeat to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final. The club confirmed the decision was by mutual agreement. Alonso's short spell ended after a turbulent six-month tenure that began in June 2025 when he joined from Bayer Leverkusen. His time was marked by a public disagreement with Vinícius Júnior over playing time, which affected dressing room harmony, and inconsistent league form that left Madrid trailing Barcelona in LaLiga. While results improved towards the end of 2025, the Super Cup loss proved decisive.
The club simultaneously announced Álvaro Arbeloa as the new first team coach. Arbeloa, a former Madrid and Spain international, has managed Castilla since June 2025 and worked within the club's youth system since 2020. His coaching achievements include league titles at Under-14 and Under-19 levels, plus a treble with the Under-19s in 2022-2023. As a player, he won eight major trophies with Madrid between 2009-2016 and was part of Spain's 2010 World Cup and two European Championship-winning teams. He now takes over a side chasing domestic silverware but needing renewed stability and unity.