Real Madrid goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois has refuted claims that his teammates conspired to have Xabi Alonso dismissed.
He spoke following Real Madrid’s 3-0 victory at home against Manchester City in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 on Wednesday.
Alonso joined the Santiago Bernabeu last summer after a successful period with Bayer Leverkusen and initially had a promising start in the Spanish capital before Los Blancos experienced a downturn in performance.
Despite recovering to reach the Supercopa de Espana final, a 3-2 defeat to arch-rivals Barcelona ultimately resulted in Alonso’s dismissal amid allegations of unrest and discord within the dressing room.
“No player set up Xabi Alonso,” Courtois stated (according to Madrid Xtra). “I believe we performed well. They claimed we disliked tactics and videos. … look, I had Antonio Conte who conducted an hour of training every day, and I was present and didn’t mind it because we are professionals and my work is the priority.
“I think the initial months with Xabi were VERY POSITIVE, and then we encountered a slump. This is part of football.”
Alonso, who has been without a managerial job since leaving Los Blancos in January, concluded his tenure at the Bernabeu with a record of 24 victories in 34 matches across all competitions, suffering six defeats.
His win percentage of 70.59 is superior to his record at Bayer Leverkusen (62.86%), where he secured a domestic double (2023-24).
Midfielder Federico Valverde achieved his first career hat-trick as Los Blancos made significant progress towards advancing to the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
The second leg will take place at the Etihad on Tuesday.