Alonso spent five years with Los Blancos as a player and replaced the legendary Carlo Ancelotti last year. But after just eight months, his tumultuous tenure has come to an end. Real Madrid were beaten by perennial rivals Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup on Sunday and trail them by four points in La Liga.

“Xabi Alonso will always carry the affection and admiration of all Madridistas because he is a Real Madrid legend and has always represented the values of our club,” read a statement from the club.

“Real Madrid will always be his home. We would like to thank Xabi Alonso and all his coaching staff for their hard work and dedication throughout this time, and wish them the best of luck in this new stage of their lives.”

Alonso won 24 of his 34 games in charge. However, bad losses plagued his tenure. Real Madrid were booed off after a defeat by Celta Vigo last month, a loss which triggered an emergency meeting for the club’s bosses. They also suffered a 5-2 defeat to Atletico in September and were beaten by both Liverpool and Manchester City in the Champions League.

Shortly after confirming Alonso’s departure, Real Madrid confirmed the appointment of Arbeloa. The 42-year-old Spaniard earned over 150 caps for the iconic club. Since June 2025, Arbeloa has been the coach of Castilla – Real Madrid’s academy – and has spent his entire coaching career in Real Madrid’s youth academy.

“He coached the Under-14s A in the 2020-2021 season, winning the league title, the Under-16s in the 2021-2022 season and the Under-19s from 2022 to 2025,” read the announcement.

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“As coach of the Under-19s, he won the treble in the 2022-2023 season (League, Copa del Rey and Champions Cup) and the League in the 2024-2025 season.

“As a player, Arbeloa was part of Real Madrid in one of the most successful periods of its history. He defended our shirt between 2009 and 2016, in 238 official matches. During that time, he won 8 trophies: 2 European Cups, 1 Club World Cup, 1 UEFA Super Cup, 1 LaLiga title, 2 Copa del Rey trophies and 1 Spanish Super Cup.

“With the Spanish national team, Arbeloa was also part of a historic era, in which he won the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and 2 European Championships (2008 and 2012). He was capped 56 times.”