The scars were fresh from Real Madrid’s loss in the Spanish Super Cup final. However, the club decided to take immediate action, and this resulted in the sacking of manager Xabi Alonso. The Super Cup summit clash against Barcelona in Saudi Arabia on Sunday saw the latter coming out on top 3-2, and as soon as the final whistle was blown by the referee, followers of the club knew that something had to change. Hours after announcing that the club and Alonso parted ways mutually, Real Madrid confirmed the arrival of Alvaro Arbeloa as the new manager.

Speaking of Arbeloa, he has previously played for Real Madrid. He made 238 appearances for Real Madrid, winning eight titles, including two Champions Leagues and one La Liga title, from 2009 to 2016. He was also part of Spain’s FIFA World Cup-winning team in 2010, as well as the Euro Cup-winning teams in 2008 and 2012.

The 42-year-old has been the coach of Castilla since June 2025. He is highly regarded within Real Madrid’s management, having spent his entire coaching career at the club’s youth academy since 2020. He took the Under-14s team under his wing from 2021 to 2022, the Under-16s during the 2021-22 season and the Under-19s from 2022 to 2025.

When he was in charge of the Under-19s, Alvaro managed to win the treble in the 2022-23 season (League, Copa del Rey and Champions Cup) and the League in the 2024-2025 season.

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

It is worth noting that news of Alonso’s sacking gained momentum in December 2025 as well. The Spanish media reported at the time, stating that Alonso would be sacked if they failed to beat Manchester City in the Champions League in December.

Madrid indeed lost the game, but the performance did show improvement, and Alonso was given time to build on this. However, the defeat by Barcelona in Jeddah was the final straw for Madrid and Alonso’s relationship.