Xabi Alonso sacked by Real Madrid: Real reason behind ex-Liverpool, Spain midfielder's departure from La Liga giant

Xabi Alonso is no longer a Real Madrid coach. Real Madrid said on Monday that coach Xabi Alonso has left the Spanish giants by mutual consent, to be replaced by Alvaro Arbeloa. The announcement came a day after Madrid lost to Barcelona 3-2 in the final of the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia. Alonso was close to the sack towards the end of 2025 but a run of five consecutive wins kept him in his position, until the Super Cup defeat.

Alonso joined in June, replacing veteran Carlo Ancelotti, but Madrid struggled to find consistency under the Basque coach and are second in La Liga, four points behind Barcelona. Real Madrid parted ways with ‌Alonso a little more than seven months after appointing him, following a poor run of results in all competitions.

Why has Xabi Alonso been Sacked?

Former Real Madrid, Liverpool 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.

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 on Wednesday as ‍Real visit second-division side Albacete in a Copa del Rey round of 16 tie.

After leading La Liga 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 Bayer Leverkusen.