Xabi Alonso has left his position as Real Madrid manager after just eight months in charge, with his former Liverpool team-mate Alvaro Arbeloa taking over.
The La Liga side said former Bayer Leverkusen manager Alonso, 44, had left by “mutual consent” and minutes later announced Arbeloa’s appointment.
The former Spain and Real full-back has been promoted from coaching Real’s B team.
Real were beaten by rivals Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup on Sunday and trail Barca by four points in La Liga.
Sources have told BBC Sport that Alonso argued with striker Kylian Mbappe about tactics before Sunday’s final. He also had a disagreement with president Florentino Perez on Monday before the decision to part ways was taken later in the day.
Alonso – who spent five years with Real as a player – won the Bundesliga with Leverkusen in 2024 and replaced Carlo Ancelotti at the Bernabeu last summer.
A club statement said: “Xabi Alonso will always have the affection and admiration of all Madrid fans because he is a Real Madrid legend and has always represented the values of our club. Real Madrid will always be his home.
“Our club thanks Xabi Alonso and his entire coaching staff for their work and dedication throughout this time, and wishes them the best of luck in this new stage of their lives.”
Arbeloa has been coaching the club’s youth team since 2020 but has not managed a senior side before.
The former defender spent two years with Liverpool before joining Real, where he won two Champions League titles. He also won the World Cup with Spain in 2010 and the Euros twice.
The 42-year-old takes charge immediately and will be on the sidelines on Wednesday as Real visit second division side Albacete in a Copa del Rey round of 16 tie.
Alonso won 24 of his 34 games in charge of Real but his side were booed off after a defeat by Celta Vigo last month, a loss which prompted an emergency meeting for the club’s hierarchy to discuss Alonso’s future.
They suffered a heavy 5-2 defeat to city rivals Atletico in September and have been beaten by both Liverpool and Manchester City in the Champions League.
BBC Sport columnist Guillem Balague said that there was ‘a clash between a coach with a clear methodology and players who want to rely on instinct.’
Ultimately, the news will not come as a surprise to Real Madrid supporters although fans I’ve spoken to still say it’s a premature one and are disappointed by it.
Alonso’s position has been under scrutiny for several months, with a series of negative results steadily reducing confidence in his leadership and boos during recent games revealing the fans’ dissatisfaction with the team’s performance.
A shock 2–0 home defeat to Celta Vigo in December left Madrid four points behind Barcelona in La Liga and prompted internal discussions about his future. That pressure intensified after a 2-1 loss to Manchester City in the Champions League, which coincided with a prolonged spell of inconsistent performances. Some fans expected Alonso to be sacked after that match.
The decisive moment came on Sunday, when Real Madrid lost 4–3 to Barcelona in the Supercopa final. Even though Real were without Mbappe for the majority of the match and they missed a vital last minute chance to take the final to penalties, the defeat left Florentino Perez with no choice.
Combined with trailing their rivals by four points at the top of La Liga and sitting seventh in the Champions League table, the defeat ultimately sealed Alonso’s fate.
Another factor that could have influenced the decision was the increasingly strained relationship between Alonso and Vinicius Junior.
Reports said their relationship deteriorated after Vinicius reacted angrily to being substituted in El Clasico, and that the forward was left out of the starting line-up several times subsequently, further damaging ties.
As one of Real Madrid’s most decisive attacking players, any tension involving Vinicius inevitably carried weight inside the club.
However, Alonso later spoke about the matter saying it was resolved and he insisted the relationship was good.
Before last weekend’s Super Cup final, Jude Bellingham was asked about Alonso’s future at Real Madrid.
He made it clear that the dressing room was fully behind the coach, saying: “At Madrid, there’s a tendency to get a bit over‑exaggerated in the bad moments, but that’s why we’re here. That’s why we love it. From my perspective, we’re all behind him, but the decisions are way above my head.”
“We know what goes on inside the dressing room. A lot of the bad moments are fabricated or exaggerated. Stories from outside aren’t helpful as they give a misleading representation to the fans but we’re behind the coach. And we’re 100% behind Vini. There is no issue.”
It’s a reminder of Real Madrid’s unforgiving standards.
In the 34 games Alonso was in charge, Real won 24 of them, losing six and drawing four.
As Real fan Ignacio tells me, “Madrid is a very demanding club and we have very little patience which is fine to an extent because it’s part of what makes us great. But I think this is a mistake. We still have a chance in all competitions and the fans are behind Xabi, who is a club legend.”
