Real Madrid have announced a shock managerial change with Xabi Alonso leaving the club on Monday after the Supercopa de Espana defeat against Barcelona in a dramatic match that ended 3-2 for the team coached by Hansi Flick. In a surprising move, the Spanish giants also announced the appointment of Alvaro Arbeloa as the new manager.
“Real Madrid C.F. announces that Alvaro Arbeloa is the new head coach of the first team. Arbeloa has been the coach of Castilla since June 2025 and has developed his entire coaching career within the Real Madrid academy since 2020,” the club statement immediately followed the one that announced the separation from Xabi Alonso.
Things have been difficult for the former Bayer Leverkusen coach in Spain, as he wasn’t able to replicate the success he had at Bayer Leverkusen at his new club, where he was also a player from 2009 to 2014. He returned to Spain last summer as the new manager after a successful spell in Germany, where he was able win the Bundesliga title and dethrone Bayern Munch during his 2.5 years in charge.
After 22 wins, four draws and five defeats in all competitions, Xabi Alonso leaves Real Madrid after only six months in charge of the Spanish club. Real Madrid hired him in the summer 2025 to replace club legend Carlo Ancelotti who signed for the Brazilian national team ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Real Madrid are currently second in the LaLiga standings, four points behind Barcelona and 7th in the Champions League table with four wins and two defeats in six matches.
Who is Alvaro Arbeloa?
Arbeloa is a well known figure at Real Madrid, as he played in the Spanish team and in the national team as a full back for over a decade. At Real Madrid he played from 2009 to 2016 after starting his career in the academy and had two spells at Deportivo La Coruna and Liverpool before making his last career move to West Ham during the 2016-17 season. Arbeloa, over the years, became the face of the club on and off the pitch, contributing to multiple domestic and European trophies. For Spain, he was part of the so called golden generation, playing 50 matches and winning the 2010 World Cup, and the European Championships in 2008 and 2012. After retiring from professional football in 2017, he moved into coaching and since 2020 has since taken on roles within Real Madrid’s youth system, where he was considered a promising candidate for the future.
Xabi Alonso’s managerial career
Xabi Alonso has emerged as one of the best young managerial talents in Europe over the past three years. After retiring from professional football in 2017, he began his coaching career at Real Sociedad, working with the youth teams and quickly gaining attention for his tactical philosophy, centered on ball possession and the development of young players. In 2022 Alonso took charge of Bayer Leverkusen, where he made an immediate impact. Under his management, the German side played exciting football and achieved historic success, winning their first-ever Bundesliga title in the 2023-2024 season. That same season, they also reached the Europa League final, only losing to Atalanta. Ahead of the summer 2025 season and just before the Club World Cup, he announced his move to Real Madrid, taking over from Carlo Ancelotti and marking the next step in his career before leaving six months later.
