Xabi Alonso Officially Sacked by Real Madrid After 7 Months: Reasons and His Replacement

Liputan6.com, Jakarta - Real Madrid officially announced the dismissal of Xabi Alonso as head coach on Monday, January 12, 2026.

The legendary former midfielder's departure was described as a "mutual agreement" between the club and Alonso.

"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," a statement said. "Real Madrid will always be his home."

His tenure at the Santiago Bernabeu was relatively short, lasting just seven months and 28 matches.

This decision came less than 24 hours after Real Madrid's defeat to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final, which was believed to be the main trigger behind the change in leadership at Los Blancos.

The club has now appointed former player Álvaro Arbeloa as head coach.

🚨💣 BREAKING: XABI ALONSO LEAVES REAL MADRID WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT. pic.twitter.com/3glDvvpMQ9

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 12, 2026

The immediate trigger for Xabi Alonso's dismissal was a 3-2 defeat to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final on January 11, 2026.

However, the team's performance under him showed a significant decline towards the end of 2025.

Real Madrid currently sits second in La Liga, four points behind their arch-rivals Barcelona at the halfway point of the season.

Furthermore, his tenure has been marred by reports of internal strife.

Conflicts reportedly arose with several senior players, including Federico Valverde and Vinicius Jr.The team's poor record under Alonso also includes defeats to Liverpool and Manchester City in the Champions League.

They also suffered a defeat against Atletico Madrid in La Liga.

🚨 Xabi Alonso’s authority completely undermined by Kylian Mbappé last night. 👀 He wanted the team to form a guard of honour for Barcelona, Mbappé refused and the players listened to Mbappé. 🤯He had no choice but to leave after that. 👋 pic.twitter.com/HXdHTLxAN7

— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) January 12, 2026

In addition to Real Madrid's inconsistent performance, Xabi Alonso's dismissal was also reportedly due to the manager's lack of harmony with the players.

In fact, after the Spanish Super Cup match against FC Barcelona, ​​Xabi was said to have lost influence within the team after Kylian Mbappé reportedly refused to provide a guard of honor to the Catalan club.

Despite this, the French national team striker even sent a farewell message to the Spanish manager via Instagram story.

“It’s been short but it was a pleasure to play for you and learn from you. Thank you for giving me the confidence since Day 1,” he said.

“I will remember you as a manager who had clear ideas and knows many things about football. Best of luck for your next chapter.”

Xabi Alonso was appointed head coach of Real Madrid in June 2025, replacing Carlo Ancelotti.

Before joining Real Madrid, Alonso successfully led Bayer Leverkusen to a domestic double in 2024.

He won the club's first Bundesliga title and the DFB-Pokal, making him as one of the most promising young coaches in Europe.

🚨💣 BREAKING: ALVARO ARBELOA TAKES OVER AS NEW REAL MADRID HEAD COACH.He’s replacing Xabi Alonso immediately. pic.twitter.com/p2ShHatGBM

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 12, 2026

Following the dismissal of Xabi Alonso, Real Madrid quickly announced Álvaro Arbeloa as his replacement.

Arbeloa, a former Real Madrid player and Alonso's teammate, will now take charge of the first team.

Arbeloa previously served as coach of Real Madrid Castilla, the club's B team, since June 2025.

He has also worked in the club's youth academy since 2020, demonstrating his commitment to young player development.

Arbeloa has a successful track record coaching Real Madrid's youth teams.

He even won the treble with the Juvenil A team in the 2022-2023 season.