Real Madrid legend speaks out in defence of Xabi Alonso: ‘Completely unfair’ | OneFootball

Speaking on his podcast, former Real Madrid captain and club legend Iker Casillas opened up on the criticism being directed at current head coach Xabi Alonso.

The 44-year-old tactician took over the reins at the Santiago Bernabeu in June 2025, but has had a tricky first six months at the club.

However, Casillas has come out in defence of his former teammate, stating that the criticism is unfair and that people seem to forget that we are still in December.

“I think what he’s getting is completely unfair,” Casillas stated. 

“He’s a guy who knows his football. I understand that Real Madrid is all about the hype, the talking, and everything, but it’s December and people don’t seem to get it. It would be different if you were 12 points behind Barça, eliminated from the Cup….”

Continuing, Alonso added: “I can’t stand those things because I just can’t understand them. I compare it a bit to school: your kid goes to school, he has to get grades, but the real grades are in June, so it’s kind of like that.” 

Xabi Alonso has come under criticism. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

During the conversation, Casillas also reflected on his relationship with former manager Jose Mourinho during their time together at Real Madrid.

“For me, it was like a girlfriend. The first year, I was in love. The second year, you start seeing things and you think, ‘Oh no…’ By the third year, you’d completely fallen out of love,” said Casillas.

However, the goalkeeping legend added that things could have been handled better by both himself and Mourinho.

“He dumped all the crap on me and said, ‘Okay, fine, this one….’ Sometimes these things happen. With time, you look back and say, ‘We should have talked things through…’ We were seeing problems where there weren’t any,” Casillas said. 

“We should have taken a day or two and said, ‘What’s going on here?’ As captain, I’ve had to deal with a guy who’s a very good coach, a very good psychologist, he knows very well how to implement the method he needs to use.

“But he has his own personality. It’s just like the ones the rest of us have,” he concluded.

Source: Mundo Deportivo