Super Cup final defeat by Barcelona spells the end
Madrid are four points off Catalan club at top of La Liga
Xabi Alonso has left Real Madrid after just over seven months as the head coach and been replaced by Álvaro Arbeloa. Alonso has gone “by mutual agreement” after defeat by Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final on Sunday and with his team four points behind the Catalan club at the top of La Liga.
Arbeloa, also a former Madrid player, steps up from coaching the club’s B team, a job he took last June. He has been a coach in the Madrid set-up since since 2020, working with academy sides.
Alonso officially started on 1 June after a successful spell at Bayer Leverkusen, where he won the domestic double in 2023-24 and led the team to the Europa League final. After overseeing Madrid’s run to the Club World Cup semi-finals he began impressively, winning 13 of his next 14 games, the exception being a heavy derby defeat by Atlético Madrid.
