Real Madrid sack Alonso, Arbeloa takes charge till season’s end | OneFootball

Real Madrid has made a strong and symbolic decision to navigate one of the most delicate moments of the season. After the unexpected departure of Xabi Alonso, the management officially announced that Álvaro Arbeloa will be the first team coach until the end of La Liga in Spain. The choice aims to restore stability and order with a profile that knows the club’s identity like few others.

The former defender, who until now was coaching Castilla, takes on the most important challenge of his career at the start of 2026, with the mission of getting the team back on track after the 3-2 defeat to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup. The decision to go with the former defender follows an internal logic: continuity, a sense of belonging, and leadership forged within Valdebebas.

Since 2020, Arbeloa has built his coaching career entirely within La Fábrica, climbing each category with results and conviction. His style, marked by intensity, tactical discipline, and adherence to the club’s historic values, has established him as a reference point within the youth structure.

The highlight came at the helm of Juvenil A, where he delivered a historic season by achieving the treble in 2022/23 (League, Copa del Rey, and Champions Cup). After that successful spell, in June 2025 he was promoted to Castilla, the final step before this leap to the first team bench.

Beyond his time as a coach, Arbeloa has a key credential: his past as a club footballer. Between 2009 and 2016, he played 238 official matches in the white shirt and was part of one of the most successful eras of modern Real Madrid. That knowledge of the locker room and the daily demands of the Bernabéu weighed heavily in the management’s decision.

Now, the challenge is immediate. Arbeloa must restore defensive solidity and confidence to a shaken squad, at a stage of the season that allows no margin for error. With institutional backing and the Madridista DNA as his banner, the former full-back faces his toughest test: keeping Real Madrid standing until the end of the campaign and beginning to write his own story on the main bench.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.