Overview
- Real Madrid and Xabi Alonso ended his tenure by mutual agreement a day after the 3-2 Supercopa de España final loss to Barcelona.
- Álvaro Arbeloa, a club stalwart and Castilla coach since June 2025, has been appointed immediately in his first senior managerial role.
- Multiple reports say players were surprised by the timing, with some learning of the decision from the club communiqué or social media.
- Post-match footage shows Alonso calling for a guard of honour as Kylian Mbappé gestured teammates to leave, a scene linked in reports to internal tensions.
- Alonso departs with a 24-4-5 record and Madrid second in La Liga, as local outlets cite conditioning concerns and note the hierarchy could pursue a marquee coach such as Jürgen Klopp longer term, which remains unconfirmed.