Is Álvaro Arbeloa Real Madrid’s permanent head coach or interim manager?

Álvaro Arbeloa has been confirmed as Real Madrid’s new head coach just minutes after Xabi Alonso’s departure, which the club said was by mutual consent. The timing raised eyebrows, but Madrid wasted no time in announcing a successor.

Arbeloa, a former Real Madrid player, had been coaching Real Madrid Castilla, the club’s B team, since June 2025.

A permanent appointment, not a stopgap

The club’s official statement on its website says Arbeloa has been appointed as the “new head coach of the first team.” The wording suggests this is a permanent appointment rather than an interim solution.

Who is Álvaro Arbeloa?

Arbeloa joined Real Madrid’s youth academy at age 18 and made four first-team appearances during the 2004-05 season before leaving for Deportivo La Coruña. After two-and-a-half seasons with Liverpool, he returned to the Santiago Bernabéu in the summer of 2009.

He went on to make 233 appearances for Madrid, primarily at right back, becoming a trusted and often understated presence during one of the club’s most successful modern eras.

A trophy-laden playing career

When Arbeloa left Madrid for West Ham in 2016, he had won eight trophies with the club. Those honors included the 2011-12 LaLiga title and two Champions League crowns in 2013-14 and 2015-16.

Now, he returns to the Bernabéu in a very different role, with the task of translating his deep connection to the club into success on the sideline.

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