Real Madrid, Xabi Alonso Part Ways After Defeat To Barcelona In Spanish Super Cup Final
The development comes a day after FC Barcelona won the Spanish Super Cup by defeating RMA 3-2 in the final in Saudi Arabia.
Real Madrid announced on Monday that manager Xabi Alonso left the club in a mutual agreement, with Alvaro Arbeloa taking over as the new head coach.
"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," the club said in a release.
Alonso will always carry the affection and admiration of all Madridistas because he is a Real Madrid legend and has always represented the values of the club. Real Madrid will always be his home, it said.
"We would like to thank Xabi Alonso and all his coaching staff for their hard work and dedication throughout this time, and wish them the best of luck in this new stage of their lives," it added.
Sports journalist Fabrizio Romano tweeted that Alvaro Arbeloa replaced Alonso as the new head coach with immediate effect.
The development comes a day after FC Barcelona won the Spanish Super Cup by defeating RMA 3-2 in the final in Saudi Arabia.
The former Spanish and Real Madrid player was appointed by RMA as the coach in May 2025 after a successful stint with Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen. Alonso, who replaced Carlo Ancelotti, had a tough time as a coach in the past few months as his team struggled on the field. There were also reports about players in the locker room being not happy about how Alonso was running the team. Star forward Vinicius Jr also reportedly had issues with the manager.
Real Madrid are currently at the second place in the LaLiga standings with 45 points from 19 matches, including two losses and three draws. They are four points behind table toppers Barcelona, which have 49 points from as many matches.
In their last UEFA Champions League match, RMA lost 2-1 to Manchester City in December.
