Xabi Alonso has ended his tenure with Real Madrid prematurely. The team made the firing official and now one of the most coveted jobs in sports is up for grabs. Still, who is in charge of the team now?
Real Madrid launched an official statement on their website saying Alvaro Arbeloa will become the new manager of ‘Los Blancos’ effective immediately. Arbeloa was a long-tenured player on the club and was managing Real Madrid Castilla, the academy team.
Arbeloa has had plenty of success at Madrid as manager of their different academy sides. He won the LaLiga for the Infantil A side in 2020-2021. He was then promoted to Cadete A and subsequently, to Juvenil A. At Juvenil A, he won the treble in 2022-2023 (LaLiga, Copa del Rey, and Champions Cup) and also LaLiga in 2024-2025.
It’s hard to believe Arbeloa is the long-term solution
While Madrid’s statement doesn’t label Arbeloa as a caretaker manager, it’s hard to believe the team is not looking for a more proven, elite manager. After all, Arbeloa has only coached in the minor leagues. On the other hand, if Arbeloa manages to right the ship, his stock goes to an all-time high.
Alvaro Arbeloa is the new Real Madrid manager
Still, the fact that Xabi Alonso got fired half a season into his tenure means Real Madrid are desperate. Hence, blindly trusting Arbeloa doesn’t seem too good of a plan. Also, the market of first-tier managers is not precisely great right now, so Madrid might take the time to really focus on making a good decision, even if that contradicts the firing of Xabi Alonso.
Which names could be linked to Madrid?
After firing Alonso due to losing the Spanish Cup to Barcelona, the message sent was loud and clear: winning is what matters. Hence, winning coaches are required right now.
Carlo Ancelotti is one of them, but he is on the verge of coaching Brazil in his first World Cup. Zinedine Zidane also comes to mind, but he is rumored to take the French side after the World Cup due to Didier Deschamps’ imminent departure.
Jurgen Klopp’s name pops up heavily, but he is retired and bringing him out of retirement might be tricky. Then, one name is left: Jose Mourinho. The former Madrid coach, however, hasn’t been successful in quite a while. His time might have passed. But, the fact is given how numbered the options are, he might be the one Madrid can land sooner.
