Real Madrid have announced that they and Xabi Alonso have parted ways following the 3-2 defeat to Barcelona in the Super Cup final, with Alvaro Arbeloa taking over as the club’s head coach.
Alonso, who made the switch to Real from Bayer Leverkusen in June of 2025, struggled to gain the full support of his dressing room as an elongated spat with Vinicius Junior over playing time garnered as much attention as his results on the field in the first half of the season.
An apparent lack of support from the players as well as middling results that left the club trailing Barcelona in the LaLiga title fight put the Spaniard under pressure, but a week into 2026, his job seemed to be safe after an improved run of form.
However, a day after Los Blancos’ loss to Barcelona in the Super Cup final, it was announced that his time in charge had come to an end.
In a statement, Real Madrid said: “Real Madrid C. F. wishes to announce that, by mutual agreement between the club and Xabi Alonso, it has been decided to bring his time as first team coach to an end.
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“Xabi Alonso will always carry the affection and admiration of all Madridistas because he is a Real Madrid legend and has always represented the values of our club. Real Madrid will always be his home.
“We would like to thank Xabi Alonso and all his coaching staff for their hard work and dedication throughout this time, and wish them the best of luck in this new stage of their lives.”
Alonso will be replaced by former teammate Arbeloa, who has been in charge of Real Madrid’s B-team since May of last year.
The former Los Blancos and Liverpool player returned to the club as a coach in 2020, taking charge of the under-14 side before then becoming the under-19 manager two years later.
He then became the B-team boss in May, and has since led the side to 10 wins, one draw and eight losses in 19 games.
Across his roles with the youth teams, he lifted multiple league titles and cups.
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