La liga giants Real Madrid have confirmed that they will be parting ways with head coach Xabi Alonso with immediate effect after the club lost to Barcelona in the Super Cup final.
Los Blancos announced Alonso’s sacking as the club’s manager in an official statement on Monday.
The announcement follows a thrilling Spanish Super Cup final on Sunday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where Barcelona were victorious in a five-goal thriller to secure the title at the Los Blancos’ expense.
“Real Madrid C. F. communicates that, by mutual agreement between the club and Xabi Alonso, it has been decided to end his time as coach of the first team,” the statement read.
The 44-year-old former Madrid and Liverpool player became manager of the club in May 2025 after leaving German club Bayer Leverkusen and he only lasted barely seven months on the job.
He also departs with Madrid second in the La Liga, four points behind leaders Barcelona at the midway point of the title campaign.
Alonso’s reign as manager was rife with lots of internal disputes. There were reports that some big players in the team’s dressing room frowned against some of the decisions made by the Spaniard.
The issue became more obvious in October during the first El-Classico of the season when Vinicius Junior stormed off the pitch after he was substituted and the Brazilian winger headed straight into the dugout in protest of the call.
Alvaro Arbeloa will fill in as Alonso’s replacement. Arbeloa is promoted to the first team after coaching Castilla (Real Madrid’s B-team) since June 2025, and has spent his entire coaching career in Real Madrid’s youth academy since 2020.
