Tag: Xabi Alonso

Coach Xabi Alonso has left Real Madrid by mutual agreement a day after their 3-2 defeat by bitter rivals Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup, according to the LaLiga club.

“Xabi Alonso will always have the love and admiration of all Real Madrid fans because he is a Real Madrid legend and has represented the values of our club at all times. Real Madrid will always be his home,” the club said in a statement.

They added that second-team manager and former defender Alvaro Arbeloa will take over the first team job.

Real parted ways with Alonso a little more than seven months after appointing him, following a poor run of results in all competitions.

Former Real midfielder Alonso, who was handed a three-year contract in May after an impressive stint with Bayer Leverkusen, saw his tenure at the Santiago Bernabeu quickly unravel.

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The former Spain international had guided Leverkusen to a historic unbeaten campaign to win the Bundesliga title in the 2023-24 season, along with a German Cup triumph and a Europa League final appearance, prompting Real to bring him back to the club as manager.

However, Alonso’s return failed to replicate the success of a fellow former Real Madrid midfielder, Zinedine Zidane, who famously led the club to three consecutive Champions League titles.

His tenure was marred by internal discord, with reports of clashes with senior players, including co-captain Federico Valverde and winger Vinicius Jr.

Real’s poor performances under Alonso included humbling losses to Paris St Germain in the Club World Cup, to Atletico Madrid in LaLiga, and Liverpool and Manchester City in the Champions League.

Arbeloa will take over the job immediately and will be on the sidelines tomorrow  as Real visit second-division side Albacete in a Copa del Rey round of 16 tie.

After leading LaLiga earlier in the season with a comfortable five-point advantage over old rivals Barcelona, Alonso’s Real collapsed and are now second, four points behind last year’s champions Barca.

Alonso’s appointment was initially seen as a long-term project, but his dismissal signals the club’s impatience with Real falling short of their high standards.

The 44-year-old, who made 236 appearances for Los Blancos as a player between 2009 and 2014, won a LaLiga title, two Copa del Rey trophies, and the club’s long-awaited 10th European crown during his years in midfield.

Alonso also began his coaching career at Real’s academy, managing the Under-14 side to league and tournament success in the 2018-19 season, before progressing to Real Sociedad’s reserve team and then Leverkusen.

His successor, Arbeloa, has been the coach of Real Madrid Castilla since June 2025 and has spent his entire coaching career in the club’s youth academy since 2020.

Arbeloa played for Real during one of the most successful periods in the club’s history, between 2009 and 2016, playing 238 matches and winning eight titles, including two Champions League trophies.

He was also in the Spain squad that won the 2010 World Cup and two European Championships, making 56 international appearances.

Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso confirmed Kylian Mbappé is on his way to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to join up with the team ahead of the Spanish Super Cup final against Barcelona.

The 15-time European champions have been without their leading goal scorer since the start of the new year. Mbappé was diagnosed with a sprain in his left knee on the final day of 2025, joining Éder Militão in the infirmary.

The France international missed out on Real Madrid’s return to domestic action, a 5–1 thrashing of Real Betis at the Bernabéu. Mbappé also did not make Alonso’s squad for the Spanish Super Cup, but his team still prevailed in the semifinals, defeating Atlético Madrid 2–1.

Los Blancos were expecting to still be without their superstar forward for the final against Barcelona. But Alonso revealed Mbappé is “a lot better” and “feeling good,” so much so that he left the Spanish capital to fly to Jeddah just days before the upcoming Clásico. Alonso played coy on the Frenchman’s potential involvement in the all-important match, but he admitted Mbappé has a “chance” to play tomorrow  at Alinma Bank Stadium.

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Despite Real Madrid’s fine form with Gonzalo García leading their line, the team’s best chance at defeating Barcelona comes with Mbappé on the pitch. In his last three matches against the Catalans, the former Paris Saint-Germain star has scored five goals.

No matter what XI Alonso rolls out tomorrow, though, Los Blancos will deem anything other than winning the Spanish Super Cup a failure.

 “We have to win,” goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said to Realmadrid TV after the game. “Last year we lost two finals against them and we want to win, just like them, who lost the Clásico in La Liga and will be hungry for revenge.”

Indeed, Barcelona bested their bitter rivals 5–2 in last season’s Spanish Super Cup final and 3–2 in the Copa del Rey final. Madrid got their first bit of revenge in their first Clásico under Alonso, a 2–1 victory at the Bernabéu.

 “It will be a great game between two teams who will want to win. We have to recover well and have fresh legs on Sunday to win,” Courtois finished.

In a related development, Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick is expected to bring Lamine Yamal back into his starting side for  tomorrow’s Spanish Super Cup final against Real Madrid.

Yamal was not in the starting XI against Athletic Bilbao in the semi-finals of the competition on Wednesday night, having struggled with a physical issue in the build-up to the match.

The teenager was introduced in the second half, though, and having come through unscathed, he is set to be in the starting team for El Clasico this weekend.

Roony Bardghji was on the scoresheet against Athletic, but the youngster is expected to be the player to make way in the final third of the field.

Barcelona could otherwise be unchanged from the semi-final, as Flick was able to make changes in the second half, with the Catalan side five goals ahead in the 52nd minute.

The La Liga leaders will again be without the services of Gavi (knee), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (unspecified) and Andreas Christensen (knee) due to injury.

Under-pressure Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso insisted the situation he is in can swiftly change ahead of a potentially pivotal Champions League clash against Manchester City tonight.

Los Blancos have won just two of their last seven games across all competitions, losing 2-0 against Celta Vigo on Sunday in La Liga, with Spanish media reporting Alonso faces the sack with a defeat against Pep Guardiola’s side.

 “This is a team, a club, we are united, and when you’re Real Madrid coach you have to be ready to face these situations calmly, with unity and responsibility,” Alonso told reporters. “I am really looking forward for what’s to come, and that starts tomorrow. We know this can change, from the anger there was (on Sunday), normal, to the excitement about (facing City)…

 “For good or bad, things can change quickly in football, your perspective can change, and we’re in that moment.”

Madrid put in one of their best performances under Alonso last week to beat Athletic Bilbao 3-0 at San Mames, before crumbling at home against Celta.

Alonso said his team is convinced they can beat Man City and superstar striker Erling Haaland at the Bernabeu to bolster their position in the league phase table, where they are currently fifth.

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“We are mentally ready for what is coming, the team is united, we are all convinced we can win tomorrow,” continued Alonso.

 “We have to play at a good speed and intensity, we have to compete, of that there is no doubt.”

Alonso said “yes” when asked if he had the support of all his players, reflected by the words of midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, who defended his coach.

“In the Vigo game the coach had a good plan, but it’s the players who are playing on the pitch,” said the France international.

 “If we play at our level we have more chance to win games like this, if we lose 2-0 it means we’ve had a problem on the pitch, intensity, technical errors.

 “So it’s not the fault of the coach, we have to improve and we will.”

• Alonso shares secrets of managing Madrid’s dressing room

Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso has acknowledged that not all of his players in the dressing room can receive the same treatment. Despite winning El Clasico last Sunday, this week has seen his handling of the squad dynamics questioned more than at any other point in his young tenure.

Ahead of Los Blancos clash’ with Valencia  tonight, much of the focus was on Vinicius Junior’s reaction to Alonso and his subsequent apology. The two reportedly have a fraught relationship, and Alonso was forced to answer five questions on how the matter had been handled during his pre-match press conference.

However Vinicius is reportedly not the only Real Madrid star unhappy with Alonso’s approach. He was asked how he manages the personalities in the dressing room at the Santiago Bernabeu, and how it was different to doing so at Bayer Leverkusen.

 “[By] Being myself. The most important thing is to be genuine, not to try to pretend. Always think about what’s best for the team. Always maintain good relationships, based on respect, but understanding that not everyone is the same. You have to have emotional intelligence.”

It came as a surprise to many that Alonso elected to start Eduardo Camavinga in midfield during El Clasico last Sunday, and more so when he ended up on the right side. Alonso was asked about the decision.

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 “We knew it was a strength we possessed [dominating midfield] and that we could utilise it, not just for a specific strategy. Other days we’ll need a different approach, but given the opponent we faced, and due to upcoming events, that’s what we’ll need. It worked out well. Not only tactically, but also mentally. That’s the foundation for tactical success. The Clasico offers us valuable lessons for the future.

The major negative news this week was that captain Dani Carvajal will be out of action until 2025, after undergoing knee surgery.

 “Carva played 20 minutes, he did very well, he competed… and on Monday morning it was a surprise to receive that call from the doctor. We’ll definitely miss him. And since it seemed we’d be counting on him… We think seven or eight weeks. We’re waiting for him.

Xabi Alonso has been appointed Real Madrid manager, the LaLiga club said as the Spaniard returns to the Santiago Bernabeu where he spent six seasons as a player and won several trophies.

Alonso has signed a three-year contract until June 2028 and the 43-year-old replaces Carlo Ancelotti, who took charge of his last game on Saturday.

With Ancelotti finishing his second stint at Real without winning a major trophy, Real moved quickly to change coaches after the veteran Italian agreed to coach Brazil .

Alonso had been in charge of Bayer Leverkusen and confirmed he would be leaving the German club this month.

The Spaniard took charge of Leverkusen in October 2022 and guided them to the double last season as they lifted their first Bundesliga title, without losing a game. They also won the German Cup and reached the Europa League final.

He had a contract at Leverkusen until 2026 but the club said they had granted his wish to terminate his deal at the end of the season.

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Alonso will be presented as Real coach today  and will take charge from June 1, ahead of the Club World Cup which starts in the United States next month.

The former Spain international joined Real in 2009 from Liverpool and made 236 appearances for them, winning a LaLiga title, two Copa del Rey trophies and the club’s long-awaited 10^th  European crown.

He began his coaching career at Real’s youth academy where he managed the Under-14 team during the 2018-19 season, winning the league and the Champions tournament.

He took charge of Real Sociedad’s reserve team before making the big step up to take the Leverkusen job.

Alonso will hope to follow in the footsteps of another Real Madrid midfielder, Zinedine Zidane, who returned to coach the Spanish club and won three Champions League titles in a row.

Under Ancelotti, Real will finish second in LaLiga behind Barcelona, who also beat them in the Spanish Super Cup and Copa del Rey finals this season.

Real were knocked out of the Champions League as holders in the quarter-finals by Arsenal.

Alonso’s first test will be the Club World Cup where they are in a group with Saudi side Al-Hilal, Mexican club Pachuca and Austria’s RB Salzburg in the new 32-team tournament that kicks off on June 14.

Bayer Leverkusen’s attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz and coach Xabi Alonso lead a growing list of potential big-name exits at the end of the season.

Leverkusen, winners of the domestic league and Cup double last season without defeat, will finish in second place in the current campaign after Bayern Munich already secured the title with an eight-point lead and two matches left.

Leverkusen club bosses are now preparing for the likely departure of key members of the team, including Wirtz, Alonso, defender Jonathan Tah and striker Patrik Schick, according to media and comments from people around the club.

A move this summer to league rivals Bayern is seen as the most likely destination for the 22-year-old Wirtz.

The Germany international, who scored 10 league goals and set up another 10, has been in superb form and has long been the top transfer target for the German record champions.

With a contract to 2027 he could earn Leverkusen upward of 100 million euros ($114 million) in case of a transfer, with best-selling Bild newspaper reporting on Tuesday the player would prefer joining Bayern if he were to move.

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While Wirtz’ future is still to be finalised, Alonso is more than likely to leave, with the Spaniard having repeatedly declined to commit himself to another season in Germany.

He has said talks would be held between him and club bosses at a later date.

A switch to Real Madrid in the event of current Real coach Carlo Ancelotti’s departure is seen as the most likely scenario.

Defensive leader Tah, who has spent a decade at the club, is also on his way out with his contract ending.

Last year he was close to a Bayern move that failed to materialise at the last minute.

Joining him on his way out could be Leverkusen’s top scorer this season, Czech striker Schick, who has become a recent Bayern target, as a second option in attack behind Bundesliga top scorer Harry Kane.

Schick has netted 19 times in the Bundesliga this season, five behind Kane.

German third-tier side Arminia Bielefeld’s record against Bundesliga clubs in the German Cup makes them dangerous opponents, Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso said ahead of  today’s semi-final between the sides.

Bielefeld knocked out Union Berlin, SC Freiburg and Werder Bremen on the way to the last four.

“We have to respect Arminia, they have beaten three Bundesliga teams already. We have to be ready for a tough game. We need to give everything, it’s an all or nothing game,” Alonso told reporters .”The DFB-Pokal is special. It writes its own stories. Arminia has done very well and deserves to be in the semis.”

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Leverkusen, the German Cup holders, are on a two-match winning run after recovering from their Champions League exit and a loss to Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga.

They are second in the standings, tailing leaders Bayern Munich by six points with nine matches remaining.

“Arminia play with a lot of energy and are courageous with the ball. They are very dynamic going forward. It’s semis, we’re expecting a great atmosphere in Bielefeld and we’ll have to give it our all,” Alonso said.