Spanish giants Real Madrid, have sacked manager Xabi Alonso after losing to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup.
The club made the announcement on its official X page on Monday.
It wrote, “Real Madrid CF announces that, by mutual agreement between the club and Xabi Alonso, it has been decided to end his time as first team coach.
“Xabi Alonso will always have the affection and admiration of all Madrid fans because he is a Real Madrid legend and has always represented the values of our club. Real Madrid will always be his home.
The Spaniard was only appointed in the summer after a hugely successful spell with German side Bayern Leverkusen.
Alonso took charge of 34 games as Real Madrid manager following his move from Bayer Leverkusen to replace Carlo Ancelotti.
But despite winning 24 of those games and only losing six times, he has found himself under a lot of pressure in the dugout.
Real are sitting four points behind bitter rivals Barcelona in La Liga and lost 3-2 to them in the Spanish Super Cup on Sunday evening.
Real Madrid have also confirmed that former defender Alvaro Arbeloa, who, like Alonso, also played for Liverpool, has taken over.
He has instantly been named as the new first-team coach.
They wrote in a statement: “Álvaro Arbeloa has been the manager of Castilla since June 2025, and has spent his entire coaching career in Real Madrid’s youth academy since 2020.
“He managed the Infantil A team in the 2020-2021 season, winning the league title, the Cadete A team in 2021-2022, and the Juvenil A team from 2022 to 2025. As Juvenil A manager, he achieved the treble in 2022-2023 (League, Copa del Rey, and Champions Cup) and the League title in the 2024-2025 season.
“As a player, Álvaro Arbeloa was part of Real Madrid during one of the most successful periods in its history. He wore our shirt between 2009 and 2016, making 238 official appearances.
“During that time, he won eight titles: two Champions Leagues, one Club World Cup, one UEFA Super Cup, one La Liga title, two Copa del Rey trophies, and one Spanish Super Cup.
“With the Spanish national team, Álvaro Arbeloa was also part of a historic era, winning the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and two European Championships (2008 and 2012). He earned 56 caps for Spain.”