Real Madrid have made a big decision in the wake of their El Clasico defeat. Xabi Alonso has resigned as head coach, a day after the club’s dramatic 3-2 defeat to Barcelona in the Supercopa de Espana final. The club said the Spaniard had left the club “by mutual consent”. He has been replaced by Real Madrid reserve team Castilla coach Alvaro Arbeloa.
Los Blancos confirmed Alonso’s departure in an official statement yesterday after the defeat in the Super Cup final in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The statement said, “The club and Xabi Alonso have decided to end his chapter as first-team coach by mutual consent.”
The 44-year-old Alonso’s tenure was short-lived. He took over last summer on a three-year deal as Carlo Ancelotti’s successor. But less than a year later, Real Madrid ended that relationship.
The club’s statement added, “Xabi Alonso is a legend at Real Madrid. He has always represented the values of our club. Real Madrid will always be his home.”
At the same time, the club thanked his coaching staff for their work and dedication and wished them well for the future.
Alonso’s start in La Liga was excellent. Real won 10 of their first 11 matches. However, the team began to lose momentum towards the end of 2025. After a series of disappointing results, including defeats against Liverpool, Celta Vigo and Manchester City, rumors about the coach’s future began to grow.
Off the field, there were also reports of discomfort. There were discussions that Alonso did not have a good relationship with some of the players. In addition to objections to his coaching style, Vinicius Junior’s public anger; The situation is further complicated by the fact that he was picked up as a replacement.
Real Madrid are currently second in the La Liga points table. However, under Alonso in the Champions League, the team was in a good position with four wins in six matches.
Former midfielder Alonso, who played in the Real jersey from 2009 to 2014, returned to the club as a coach last summer. Before that, he came into the spotlight after leading Bayer Leverkusen to their first Bundesliga title in history in 2024.
Now the responsibility has been handed over to 42-year-old Alvaro Arbeloa. The former Real right-back played 238 games for the club in seven seasons. Real Madrid, satisfied with his coaching performance at Castilla, let him take charge of the first team.
Santiago Bernabeu is now looking at how Real turn around for the rest of the season under the new coach.
