Alvaro Arbeloa named new Real Madrid head coach, Xabi Alonso leaves: Live updates
Follow all the reaction to Xabi Alonso’s exit from the Spanish giants and the promotion of Alvaro Arbeloa at the Bernabéu.
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Alvaro Arbeloa replaces Xabi Alonso at Real Madrid: Updates
Ten years on from his final season as a Real Madrid player, Alvaro Arbeloa returns to lead the team as the newest head coach. Xabi Alonso was given just 34 games in charge before departing and Arbeloa is now tasked with bringing together a Madrid squad that failed to truly gel under Alonso.
Arbeloa's task begins with his first competitive fixture on Wednesday, just two days after taking over.
Ramón Calderón was president form 2006 to 2009, winning La Liga twice. / AITOR MARTIN / DIARIO AS
Former Real Madrid president points to the problem
Xabi Alonso has left his post after just 34 games in charge, with some suggesting that he was put in a tough spot since his arrival. Real Madrid have added the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Dean Hujsen and Trent Alexander-Arnold in recent years, but they have failed to strengthen in a key area. Former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon has had his say on the problems.
"I think the problem has been poor planning. We had Toni Kroos and Luka Modric in midfield. Perhaps the best midfield in the world. Now, those players are not with us anymore and maybe we should've found someone to be in that midfield.
"We have the best striker in the world in [Kylian Mbappe]. We have the best goalkeeper. But, in my opinion, the problem is the midfield."
The new Real Madrid head coach played for teams in Spain and England across his decorated career. / Clive Brunskill / Getty Images
Which teams did Alvaro Arbeloa play for?
As a player, Alvaro Arbeloa is best known for his long association with Real Madrid. But where else did he play?
Despite starting off in the youth teams of Zaragoza, he joined the Real Madrid academy at the age of 18. He played for Madrid before moving to Deportivo La Coruna in 2006, spending one season with the Galician team.
As was the case for his predecessor, Xabi Alonso, Arbeloa moved to England to sign for Liverpool. Arbeloa only spent two years at Anfield but he did feature in the 2006/07 Champions League final, a 2-1 defeat to AC Milan. He then returned to Real Madrid and spent the next seven years at the Bernabeu, winning one La Liga title and two Champions Leagues.
He ended his playing career back in the Premier League, playing four times for West Ham United in the 2016/17 season.
Alvaro Arbeloa explains how to beat Lionel Messi
The new Real Madrid head coach has been working with the club's youth and reserve teams in recent years, gaining a reputation as one of the most promising young coaches in Spain. Now that Alvaro Arbeloa has been given the big job at the Bernabeu, here's a look back at his appearance on Masterclass...
Arbeloa was one of Mourinho's trusted soldiers at Real Madrid. / Jesus Rubio / Diario AS
Alvaro Arbeloa's 'connection' with Jose Mourinho
In a conversation with Coaches' Voice back in 2023, Alvaro Arbeloa spoke about his affinity with former Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho. Arbeloa spoke in glowing terms about the Portuguese coach, full of praise for his meticulous, relentless style.
Arbeloa said: "I connected with him very early on, because of everything he transmitted to me. The fact of giving your best every day, and doing it by setting an example. With Jose, you only played if you worked 100 per cent in training, no matter what the name of the player.These were values and ideals that I really agreed with."
"Of course, Jose is also tactically very well prepared. All the training was focused on his model of play. I loved its verticality."
The highly-anticipated ‘Xabi Alonso Era’ at Real Madrid never truly got going, with unconvincing performances upsetting any real momentum in the team.
He lasted until January but there was a bleak December loss that reportedly changed the way that those within the club viewed the head coach's future. Was this the game that cost Alonso his job?
Former Real Madrid defender Alvaro Arbeloa has been named the clubs new head coach. / JAVIER SORIANO / AFP
In numbers: Alvaro Arbeloa's Real Madrid career
The new Real Madrid head coach had a long career with Los Blancos as a player, coming through the club's youth team and going on to help the team to the long-awaited Champions League triumph in 2013/14.
Games: 234
Goals: 6
Honors: La Liga (2011/12), Champions League (2013/14, 2015/16), Copa del Rey (2010, 2013/14), FIFA Club World Cup (2014)
He was also a part of the all-conquering Spain team that won three consecutive international tournaments from 2008 to 2012: two European Championships the the World Cup.
Xabi Alonso is out, just seven months after replacing Carlo Ancelotti as head coach of Real Madrid.
His successor, Alvaro Arbeloa, was tipped for the role by Ancelotti and the Italian praised Arbeloa for three key attributes.
Kiko Huesca / EFE
Gonzalo García lauds Xabi Alonso: "Thank you for the opportunity you gave me"
"Mister, thank you so much for everything: the lessons, the trust from day one, and above all, the opportunity you gave me. I wish you all the best always," posted academy graduate Gonzalo García, who established himself in the first team for the first time under Alonso.
PANKRA NIETO / REUTERS
Carvajal keeps it short: "Thank you, coach"
Dani Carvajal, Real Madrid’s club captain and a key figure in the locker room, kept his farewell to Xabi Alonso brief but heartfelt: "Thank you for everything, coach," accompanied by a white heart.
Álvaro Arbeloa: The new Mourinho?
Álvaro Arbeloa, heavily influenced by José Mourinho, has shown a frank and uncompromising character in his press conferences since his time with Castilla. After a controversial loss in Mérida that saw several players sent off, he didn't hesitate to criticize the referees for what he saw as unequal treatment. He also voiced strong disapproval over an elbow that went unpunished, expressing his frustration with the officiating.
Arbeloa also made it clear that some young prospects, like Joan Martínez, still have to prove themselves before reaching the first team, emphasizing the level of demand and effort required at Real Madrid.
JESUS ALVAREZ ORIHUELA / DIARIO AS
Valverde praises Alonso and coaching staff for their “great attitude”
“Mister, I wish you and the entire coaching staff all the best. You’ve always shown a great attitude. Wishing you success in everything that comes next,” Fede Valverde wrote in an Instagram story.
The Uruguayan, one of the team’s captains and key figures in the locker room, had been central to growing speculation about Alonso’s relationship with the squad. This came after he expressed frustration before the Kairat Almaty game over being asked, in that specific context, to play as a right-back.
Xabi Alonso joins unwanted Real Madrid club
Xabi Alonso is now the 10th coach since 2000 to have left Real Madrid after taking charge of the team for fewer than 50 games. Ironically, Manuel Pellergrini, who managed 48, has the highest win percentage (75%) of any coach in the club's history.
Kiko Huesca / EFE
Rodrygo thanks Xabi Alonso for his trust: "Thank you for every day shared"
“Mister, thank you for every day we shared, for your trust, the lessons, and the moments we lived together. I wish you great success in the path ahead. May your career continue to grow. All the best always, Xabi Alonso,” wrote Rodrygo on Instagram. Under the guidance of the former Real Sociedad coach, the Brazilian attacker went from being a player potentially on the summer transfer list to one of the team’s most in-form stars.
LUKE HALES / Getty Images via AFP
Dean Huijsen: “Thank you for everything we went through together”
“Thank you, coach, for everything we went through together. I wish you all the best in the future,” was the farewell message from center back Dean Huijsen, one of the signings brought in during Xabi Alonso’s tenure. The Instagram story was accompanied by two emojis, a fist bump and a heart.
SAM NAVARRO / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters
Thibaut Courtois to Xabi Alonso: “It’s been a pleasure”
Thibaut Courtois, another member of Xabi Alonso’s trusted inner circle, also made his farewell official on social media. “Thank you for everything. It’s been a pleasure working with you, and I wish you all the best in the future. You deserve it,” the goalkeeper wrote.
What awaits Álvaro Arbeloa as he takes over from Xabi Alonso at Real Madrid? Our own Tomás Roncero thinks the new man in charge is going to face the exact same problems as his predecessor.
NurPhoto / NurPhoto via Getty Images
Andriy Lunin next to pay tribute to Alonso: "A great manager"
“Thank you for everything, coach. You’re a great manager, and you’re going to achieve a lot of success. Best of luck,” Ukrainian goalkeeper Andriy Lunin wrote in an Instagram story, alongside a photo of the two embracing.
Dani Ceballos: "Great things await you"
Dani Ceballos, who made only seven starts under Xabi Alonso and played just 26 percent of the team's total minutes, has also had hugepraise for Alonso: “Thank you very much for everything, coach. With your ambition, your drive, and your way of seeing the game, only great things await you. I wish you all the best.”
Arda Güler on Xabi Alonso: "Your influence will always stay with me"
Turkish midfielder Arda Güler, whom Xabi Alonso clearly held in special affection and worked hard to turn into his creative focal point, said goodbye to the former Real Madrid coach in his own way. Polite, heartfelt, and full of gratitude, Güler wrote:
“Mr. Xabi Alonso, thank you for believing in me and trusting me from day one. Every conversation, every detail, every demand helped shape my game and push me to a higher level. I am deeply grateful for everything you have contributed to my journey. Your confidence in me has made me a better player. I wish you and your staff every success in what comes next. Your influence will always stay with me.”
Kylian Mbappé has taken to Instagram with a message for Xabi Alonso, writing in English: “It's been short but it was a pleasure to play for you and learn from you. Thank you for giving me the confidence since Day 1. I will remember you as a manager who had clear ideas and knows many things about football. Best of luck for your next chapter.”
Our colleague Manu de Juan has this report on the reaction of the Real Madrid dressing room - and it appears the news of Alonso's exit took his players somewhat by surprise.
AS USA's Roddy Cons takes a closer look at Xabi Alonso's record during his short tenure at Real Madrid.
Alonso and Flick's mirror image
In his 34 games in charge of Real Madrid, Alonso won 24, drew four and lost six. Barcelona's Hansi Flick registered an identical record in his first 34 games at the helm of the Blaugrana, notes Spanish soccer stats guru Mister Chip.
Xabi's Real win rate right up there
As is pointed out by the soccer stats specialists Opta, Xabi Alonso has departed despite having the joint-fifth-best win percentage of any Real Madrid head coach.
Having replaced Alonso as Madrid's head coach, Arbeloa won't have long to wait to make his debut: Los Blancos face second-tier Albacete this Wednesday, in a Copa del Rey clash.
Arbeloa and the “Ancelotti method”
Xabi Alonso's departure from Real Madrid had been in the works for weeks. According to Fabrizio Romano, his relationship with part of the dressing room had already become strained since the Club World Cup, with players who did not share his ideas or adapt to his model.
The coach himself decided to bring his stint to an end after concluding that the team was not buying into his style. At the same time, the Italian journalist reports that Álvaro Arbeloa is highly enthusiastic about his appointment and that there is belief at the club he can follow a more continuity-based profile, closer to that of Carlo Ancelotti.
In an ironic turn of events, just weeks after praising Álvaro Arbeloa as a future coach, Xabi Alonso was suddenly replaced by him as Real Madrid's manager...
Xabi's dismissal brings with it the return of Italian fitness coach Antonio Pintus to the first team. Club president Florentino Pérez has been concerned about the team's physical condition, and pushed for him to work with the first team.
Pintus has been called “The Devil” by players for his hard core fitness methods, but the athletes admit they work. As Fernando Morientes said about him in 2018: “He's a nice, friendly guy, but a bit of a bastard, although I love him to bits. My competition weight was 83 kilos, and Pintus got me down to 79 in three weeks. I’ve never been so hungry in my life as I was with him.”
Helguera jokes about Álvaro Arbeloa’s appointment
Iván Helguera, who played for Real Madrid for eight years (from 1999 to 2007), reacted to Xabi Alonso’s departure from the Real Madrid bench and the arrival of the former Castilla coach with laughing and stunned emojis on his X account.
Xabi Alonso was appointed on 1 June last year, but his tenure is nothing like the shorted on record, with José Antonio Camacho staying in post for just 22 days before resigning amid disagreements with the club's hierarchy.
More short term Real Madrid coaches.
Here's how the soccer world reacted to the departure of Alonso.
“I’m just as surprised as all of you.”
The final images of Xabi Alonso as Real Madrid coach
Our colleagues at ASTV captured Alono's final moments as Real Madrid coach.
What has taken many people by surprise about Xabi Alonso's departure is that, while Real Madrid lost last night to Barcelona 3-2 in the final of the Spanish Super Cup, the performance, with two golden chances at the end to equalise, was widely reckoned to have given the head coach some breathing space after weeks of speculation.
Real Madrid players surprised by departure... and appointment
It wasn't only Xabi Alonso's dismissal that caught the dressing room off guard. According to Edu Aguirre from Spanish soccer show El Chiringuito, Real Madrid’s players neither knew nor expected that Álvaro Arbeloa would be named the new head coach.
Arbeloa has been installed as the new permanent head coach. A former Real Madrid player, Arbeloa has been coaching the club's B team, Real Madrid Castilla, since 2025.
Arbeloa is a Real Madrid product who returned to the club in 2009 after spells at Deportivo and Liverpool, going on to make 233 appearances at right back. He won eight trophies with Madrid, including the 2011-12 LaLiga title and two Champions League titles, before leaving in 2016 to go to West Ham.
The official announcement from Real Madrid announcing that Alvaro Arbeloa is taking over from Xabi Alonso.
The official announcement from Real Madrid, thanking Xabi Alonso for his hard work.
Real Madrid: "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.
His reign lasted just over 200 days and 29 matches - 30 if you include the friendly in Tyrol.
Xabi Alonso leaves Real Madrid
Just 232 days after arriving, and after 34 matches in charge, Alonso is no longer Real Madrid's head coach. According to the club the decision was by mutual agreement.
Shock at Real Madrid - Xabi Alonso leaves by mutual agreement
Good afternoon and welcome to our rolling live blog tracking all the reaction to the coaching change at Real Madrid. Follow all the information on the huge change at the Bernabéu here.
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