How Real Madrid has become a struggle for Spaniards
Since Vicente del Bosque departed in 2003, not a single Spanish coach has been a success on the Real Madrid bench.
Real Madrid closes out the season without silverware. The club has now gone two straight campaigns without lifting a major trophy, despite changes on the bench. The first move was to hand the reins to Xabi Alonso as Carlo Ancelotti’s successor. The Basque arrived in Madrid after a highly successful spell at Bayer Leverkusen. A former Real Madrid player, Alonso sparked genuine excitement among the fan base, and after the first league Clásico, Los Blancos sat top of the table, five points clear of Barcelona - though without truly convincing performances. From that point on, everything unraveled. Results spiraled, and after losing the Spanish Super Cup final to Barcelona, Florentino Pérez decided to part ways with the coach. Alonso never fully connected with the locker room, and in the end, that disconnect showed both on the field and in the results.
To replace Alonso, Madrid turned to another Spanish coach: Álvaro Arbeloa. The former Castilla boss inherited a team still alive in all three major competitions, but from his very first match, things failed to click. Knocked out of the Copa del Rey by Albacete, out of the LaLiga title race, and eliminated in the Champions League quarterfinals by Bayern Munich, Arbeloa - himself a product of the club . did not do enough to keep his job as first-team manager. He finishes the season with worse numbers than his predecessor.
Two Spanish coaches in one season, neither able to deliver success at Real Madrid. Since Vicente del Bosque’s departure in 2003, the club has failed to see a Spanish manager truly thrive on its bench. Despite a long list of candidates over the years, no domestic coach has managed to carve out sustained success at the Bernabéu.
Spanish coaches’ Real struggles
The first to attempt it was José Antonio Camacho in 2004. His stint lasted just six matches: three in LaLiga, two in the Champions League qualifiers, and one in the group stage. Camacho resigned, admitting he did not feel capable of managing the Galácticos’ locker room, choosing to step away before matters deteriorated further. “I thought Madrid needed a change, and I believed they brought me in to make it happen. I realized it was going to be very difficult,” he said at the time.
Mariano García Remón, another Spaniard and a club insider, was appointed to replace Camacho. He stayed on until December, overseeing 20 matches with a record of 12 wins, four draws, and four losses. The club dismissed him before the year’s end and brought in the Brazilian Vanderlei Luxemburgo. Another coach, another season without trophies since Del Bosque.
Juan Ramón López Caro followed. He took over from Luxemburgo in December 2005 and remained through the end of the season. He was unable to reverse the team’s decline, and Madrid added yet another campaign without silverware.
It wasn’t until 2008 that another Spanish coach got his shot. Juande Ramos was chosen to replace Bernd Schuster after the German famously suggested Madrid had no chance of winning at Camp Nou. Ramos lasted until the end of the season but could not compete with Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona. The club let him go once the campaign ended.
It took until 2015 for Madrid to again turn to a Spanish manager: Rafa Benítez. After a trophy-less season under Ancelotti, Benítez arrived to fulfill what he called a lifelong dream. But that dream lasted only a few months. He failed to connect with the squad, and Pérez dismissed him in the middle of the Christmas period, paving the way for the Frenchman Zinedine Zidane - who would go on to win the Champions League that same season.
The last Spanish coach before Alonso and Arbeloa was Julen Lopetegui. After a dramatic appointment just days before the 2018 World Cup, Lopetegui’s tenure lasted only a few months. The post-Cristiano Ronaldo era was always expected to be challenging, but by late October - after a 5–1 humiliation at the hands of Barcelona at Camp Nou - Lopetegui was sacked.
Contrasting fortunes in Europe
While Spanish coaches continue to struggle at Real Madrid, they are thriving beyond the club’s borders. Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique lead the way in terms of success, but they are far from alone. In the Premier League, Spanish managers are in vogue: Mikel Arteta at Arsenal, Unai Emery at Aston Villa, and, at Bournemouth, the outgoing Andoni Iraola.
Their success isn’t limited to England. Cesc Fàbregas is making an impressive impact at Como, Roberto Martínez is doing strong work with Portugal’s national team, and José Luis Mendilibar has enjoyed success with Olympiacos. Spanish coaching is clearly on the rise - but it still faces one lingering challenge: succeeding on the Real Madrid bench.
Related stories
Get closer to the game! Whether you like your soccer of the European variety or that on this side of the pond, our AS USA app has it all. Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more. Plus, stay updated on NFL, NBA and all other big sports stories as well as the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.
And there’s more: check out our TikTok and Instagram reels for bite-sized visual takes on all the biggest soccer news and insights.
Complete your personal details to comment