Xabi Alonso has officially been fired as Real Madrid coach: Who will take the head coach spot in the Spanish side?

Although all the news pointed to Xabi Alonso continuing as Real Madrid’s coach, the Spaniard has been dismissed after losing the Spanish Super Cup to Barcelona. In response, the front office has already announced who will take over as interim coach until the end of the season.

Xabi Alonso arrived at the start of the season as Real Madrid’s biggest hope for building a new era following Carlo Ancelotti’s departure. While he had a brilliant start, the team accumulated a series of poor performances, including the latest defeat to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup. In light of this, the front office made the drastic decision to dismiss the coach, and has already announced his replacement.

“Real Madrid C. F. announce that, by mutual agreement between the club and Xabi Alonso, it has been decided to end his tenure as first-team coach… Real Madrid will always be his home. Our club thanks Xabi Alonso and his entire coaching staff for their work and dedication during this time, and wishes them the best of luck in this new stage of their lives,” the Spanish team posted on its website.

Although Xabi Alonso’s dismissal comes as a surprise, the front office has already announced his replacement: Álvaro Arbeloa. He will take charge of the team after shining within the youth ranks since 2020 as coach. With this decision, Santiago Solari’s possible return is ruled out, pointing instead to a move similar to Zinedine Zidane’s first tenure with the club.

“Álvaro Arbeloa has been the coach 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 coach of the Juvenil A team, he won the treble in 2022-2023 (League, Copa del Rey, and Copa de Campeones) and the League in the 2024-2025 season,” Real Madrid announce in their website.

*developing story…