Xabi Alonso left his position as Real Madrid coach after seven months in office.
Alvaro ArbeloaHe has been appointed as the successor to Ga Alonso, who has served as coach of the Real Madrid B team since June 2025 and has worked at the academy for the past six years.
Real announced Alonso’s transfer a day after losing to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia.
Alonso starts with Real in second place in La Liga, four points behind leaders Barcelona at the halfway stage of the season.
The Spanish giants are also seventh in the Champions League standings, having won four of their six games and losing the other two.
Real Madrid announced in a statement that the club had parted ways with Alonso, who had been an outstanding performer for the club, by “mutual consent”.
“Xabi Alonso will always have the affection and respect of all Madrid fans, as he is a Real Madrid legend and has always represented the values of our club,” the statement said. “Real Madrid will always be his home.”
“Our club would like to thank Alonso and his entire technical team for their hard work and dedication during this period and wish them the best of luck in this new phase of their lives.”
Alonso was hired by Real in the summer as a replacement for Carlo Ancelotti after leading Bayer Leverkusen to a German league and cup double in 2024.
He was previously linked with the Liverpool manager when Jurgen Klopp announced he would leave Anfield the same year, but decided to stay at Leverkusen for another season before moving to Madrid.
Who is Real Madrid’s new manager Arbeloa?
Alvaro Arbeloa has been appointed as the new manager of Real Madrid.
Arbeloa has served as the head coach of Real Madrid Castilla, the club’s B team, since this season.
The 42-year-old was previously a coach at Real’s academy and performed particularly well for the club’s Juvenil A under-19 side.
In the 2022-23 season, Arbeloa led the Juvenil team to a treble, including winning the league, Copa del Rey tournament, and Champions Cup, and won another league title with the team last season.
Arbeloa was also a Real Madrid player and a former team-mate of Alonso at the Spanish giants, the Spanish national team and Liverpool.
Arbeloa played alongside Alonso for Liverpool, Real Madrid and the Spanish national team.
