Xabi Alonso has parted ways with Real Madrid by mutual consent after less than eight months in charge.
Alvaro Arbeloa, a former teammate of Alonso's at Liverpool and the Spain national team, has been named head coach after being promoted from Castilla, Real Madrid's B team.
Alonso had come under increasing pressure towards the end of last year and the Spanish giants announced their decision following Sunday’s Spanish Super Cup defeat to arch-rivals Barcelona in Saudi Arabia.
A club statement read: “Real Madrid CF announces that, by mutual agreement between the club and Xabi Alonso, it has been decided to end his time as coach of the first team.
“Xabi Alonso will always have the affection and admiration of all madridismo 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 technical team for their work and dedication throughout this time, and wishes them the best of luck in this new stage of their lives.”
Real, who finished runners-up in La Liga last season, trail defending champions Barcelona by four points and lost to Hansi Flick’s side in the Spanish Super Cup for the second year running on Sunday.
Former Real midfielder Alonso signed a three-year deal in May last year when succeeding Carlo Ancelotti, who left the club to become head coach of Brazil.
Alonso, who also had successful spells as a player at Liverpool and Bayern Munich, guided former club Bayer Leverkusen to their first Bundesliga title in 2024 without losing a match in his first season in charge.
Leverkusen finished runners-up to Bayern the following season before Alonso agreed to return to Real, with whom he won La Liga in 2012 and the Uefa Champions League in 2014 as a player.
Who is Alvaro Arbeloa?
Arbeloa is well-regarded within the club's ranks and has been promoted through the club's various youth teams since 2020. He was most recently in charge of Castilla, who represent Real Madrid in Spain's second division.
The Spanish giants have been careful to avoid putting a timeframe on how long Arbeloa will take charge of the first team. His first match will be Wednesday's Copa del Rey match away to Albacete.
Arbeloa enjoyed a successful career as a defender for Real Madrid, Liverpool and the Spanish national team. Amassing 56 caps, he was part of the Spain squad that captured the 2008 and 2012 European Championships, either side of winning the World Cup in 2010.
He came through Real's youth system, making two appearances for the first team in the 2004/05 season. He returned to the club for seven years in 2009, helping Real win two Champions League titles, two Copas del Rey, as well as La Liga and the Club World Cup.
While Arbeloa's official position is head coach, the speculation is that it is more of a temporary measure, bringing stability to a side lacking it, while the club begins its search for its next long-term head coach.
Who are the names being linked with Real Madrid in the long term?
Enzo Maresca
The Italian left his post as Chelsea head coach on New Year's Day after only 18 months in charge of the Blues.
In his final days at Stamford Bridge, Maresca became more outspoken against the club, and his role in it as it pertained to decision-making.
All this just months after guiding Chelsea to the Fifa Club World Cup and Uefa Europa Conference League titles.
Maresca, 45, has been widely tipped to succeed Pep Guardiola should the Spaniard step down at Manchester City at the end of the season.
Zinedine Zidane
The French legend has answered the Real Madrid SOS call once before, returning to the club in 2019 after the disastrous spells of Julen Lopetegui and Santiago Solari.
In his first full season back in charge at the Bernabeu, Zidane led Real to a 34th La Liga title and second of his managerial career. He would leave at the end of the following campaign as Real failed to win a trophy, but a body of work that includes three successive Champions League titles as a coach, and a playing career regarded by many as among the best to represent the club, Zidane's stock is high in Madrid.
Currently in Morocco to watch his son, Luca, represent Algeria in the Africa Cup of Nations, Zidane has not coached since quitting Madrid a second time in 2021.
David Trezeguet, a former World Cup-winning teammate of Zidane's, recently told The National that he was tipping Zidane to replace Didier Deschamps as Les Bleus boss after this summer's World Cup.
"I believe it would be the right move for him to be the next coach,” Trezeguet said on the sidelines of Sharjah Week of the Stars.
Jurgen Klopp
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is known to be a huge admirer of the German, particularly after a successful spell in charge at Liverpool that saw the Reds restore their place at the top of English football, going from also-rans to European and Premier League champions.
Klopp quit Anfield after eight years in the summer of 2024 and has been working as the Head of Global Soccer for Red Bull since January 2025.
Oliver Mintzlaff, CEO of Corporate Projects and New Investments of Red Bull, poured cold water on rumours that Klopp could replace Alonso, saying last month: “Jurgen has made it clear that he doesn’t want to be a coach at the moment. Whether that changes at some point in his life, of course, is possible.”
Andoni Iraola
The Spaniard has worked wonders at Premier League side Bournemouth since his appointment in June 2023.
The Cherries are among the more attractive playing sides in England's top tier, and Iraola has had to produce results against the constant threat of having his best players whisked away by bigger fish.
And produce he has. Despite seeing the likes of Antoine Semenyo, Dean Huijsen, Milos Kerkez and Dominic Solanke sold for enormous profit, Iraola has guided Bournemouth to 13th and 15th-place finishes in the Premier League during his two full seasons at the club.
They are 15th again in the table, 12 points above the relegation zone. While Iraola may lack the pedigree of those mentioned above him, few doubt his coaching credentials and ability galvanise and maximise the talent at his disposal.
