Real Madrid announced on Monday that coach Xabi Alonso is no longer with the team and will be replaced by Alvaro Arbeloa.
One day after losing the Spanish Super Cup final to Barcelona, the club bid farewell to the Basque coach. It appointed former Madrid player Arbeloa, who had been in charge of the reserves.
Real Madrid has confirmed, in a statement, that the contract of its first-team coach, Xabi Alonso, has ended by mutual agreement.
In a separate statement, Madrid revealed that Arbeloa would replace Alonso, but did not specify the duration of the contract.
He has been coaching Castilla since June 2025 and has developed his career in Real Madrid’s academy since 2020.
Alonso replaced Carlo Ancelotti in June, but Madrid has struggled to maintain consistency under his leadership and is now in second place in La Liga, trailing Barcelona by 4 points.
They lost 3-2 in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, in what was Alonso’s last match as coach, to Hansi Flick’s team.
He was on the verge of being sacked towards the end of 2025, but a string of victories kept him in the hot seat until the Super Cup defeat.
