Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Real Madrid Ousts Xabi Alonso After Seven Months as Álvaro Arbeloa Takes Over

Club insiders cite a showdown over fitness coach Antonio Pintus as the decisive trigger.

Overview

  • Real Madrid described the exit as by mutual consent, though multiple reports say the club drove the decision.
  • After the 3-2 Supercopa loss to Barcelona, Alonso was summoned to Valdebebas and asked to reinstate longtime fitness coach Antonio Pintus, a move he resisted.
  • Antonio Pintus was restored to first-team duties less than an hour after Álvaro Arbeloa was named interim coach.
  • Reporting points to strained relations with key players, including run-ins with Vinicius Junior and Fede Valverde, while Cadena SER relayed claims that seven squad members had complained to the board since November.
  • Confidence in Alonso had waned following heavy defeats and concerns over conditioning and tactical coherence, with results slipping from an early lead in La Liga to a four-point deficit to Barcelona.