{"id":8378,"date":"2026-01-12T22:51:48","date_gmt":"2026-01-12T22:51:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=8378"},"modified":"2026-01-12T22:51:48","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T22:51:48","slug":"alonso-sacked-by-real-madrid-replaced-by-arbeloa-as-head-coach-football-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=8378","title":{"rendered":"Alonso sacked by Real Madrid; replaced by Arbeloa as head coach | Football News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p class=\"article__subhead\"><em>Xabi Alonso splits from the club a day after their Super Cup loss to Barcelona, with Alvaro Arbeloa named in his place.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-dates\">\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Published On 12 Jan 2026<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\">12 Jan 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-share\" data-testid=\"rich-share\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__button-wrapper\"><button class=\"rich-share__button row\" aria-expanded=\"false\"><\/p>\n<p>Click here to share on social media<\/p>\n<p><svg class=\"icon icon--share2 icon--primary icon--16 \" viewbox=\"0 0 20 16\" version=\"1.1\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><title>share2<\/title><path fill=\"#000\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M11.688 9.048c-.659 0-1.252.282-1.673.733l-4.92-2.45c.016-.115.028-.232.028-.352 0-.117-.011-.23-.027-.343l4.913-2.423a2.285 2.285 0 0 0 1.68.739C12.964 4.952 14 3.899 14 2.6 14 1.302 12.965.25 11.688.25S9.377 1.302 9.377 2.601c0 .117.01.23.027.343L4.49 5.367a2.285 2.285 0 0 0-1.68-.739C1.536 4.628.5 5.681.5 6.979c0 1.299 1.035 2.35 2.312 2.35.659 0 1.252-.281 1.673-.731l4.92 2.45a2.357 2.357 0 0 0-.029.351c0 1.299 1.035 2.351 2.312 2.351S14 12.698 14 11.399s-1.035-2.35-2.312-2.35Z\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"rich-share__social-text\">Share<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>Real Madrid announced on Monday that \u200cXabi Alonso has left his role as head coach \u201cby mutual \u200dconsent\u201d, with Alvaro \u200dArbeloa promoted from coaching the club\u2019s reserve team Castilla to replace him.<\/p>\n<p>The news came a day after Real Madrid lost to Barcelona, 3-2, in the Supercopa de Espana final in Jeddah, Saudi \u2060Arabia.<\/p>\n<section class=\"more-on\">\n<h2 class=\"more-on__heading\">Recommended Stories<!-- --> <\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list of 3 items<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>Alonso, 44, lasted less than a year into the three-year contract he \u200bsigned last summer to replace Carlo Ancelotti.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cReal Madrid CF announces that, \u200dby mutual agreement between the club and Xabi Alonso, it has been decided to put an end to his time as first team coach,\u201d the football team said in a \u200dstatement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cXabi Alonso will \u2060always have the affection and admiration of all Real Madrid fans because he is a Real Madrid legend and has always represented the values of our club. Real Madrid will always be his home.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur club thanks Xabi Alonso and all his coaching staff for their work and dedication throughout this time, and wishes them the \u200bbest of luck in this new stage of their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4234088\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4234088\" style=\"width:770px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-arc-image-770 wp-image-4234088\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2026-01-11T204515Z_1210532441_UP1EM1B1LNDJF_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-SPAIN-BAR-RMA-1768243083.jpg?w=770&amp;resize=770%2C557&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"Xabi Alonso reacts.\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4234088\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Xabi Alonso\u2019s final match as head coach was a crushing 3-2 defeat to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on January 11, 2026 [Vincent West\/Reuters]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Madrid \u200cwon 10 of its first 11 La Liga games under Alonso, but rumours about his job status increased with reports of a disconnect with some players while the club struggled to \u200cclose out 2025, including losses to Liverpool, Celta Vigo and Manchester City.<\/p>\n<p>That included star forward Vinicius Junior\u2019s public complaints \u200cabout being substituted and reports of other players taking \u2060issue with Alonso\u2019s style.<\/p>\n<p>Madrid has fallen to second in the domestic standings but is well-positioned in the league phase of the UEFA Champions League, with four wins in six games under Alonso.<\/p>\n<p>A former midfielder who \u200cplayed for Madrid from 2009 to 2014, Alonso returned to the club last summer following 18 months at Bayer Leverkusen, where he led the club to its first-ever Bundesliga title in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>He will now be replaced by the 42-year-old Arbeloa, a former right-back who made 238 appearances across seven years with \u200cthe club.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4234094\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4234094\" style=\"width:770px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-arc-image-770 wp-image-4234094\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2252252568-1768243322.jpg?w=770&amp;resize=770%2C513&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"Alvaro Arbeloa reacts.\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4234094\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alvaro Arbeloa will take over the Real Madrid head coach role immediately and will be on the sidelines for the club\u2019s next match on Wednesday at Albacete in a Copa del Rey last-16 contest [File: Ben Roberts Photo\/Getty Images]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Xabi Alonso splits from the club a day after their Super Cup loss to Barcelona, with Alvaro Arbeloa named in his place. Published On 12 Jan 202612 Jan 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Real Madrid announced on Monday that \u200cXabi Alonso has left his role as head coach \u201cby mutual [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8379,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8378","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-europe-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8378","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8378"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8378\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8379"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8378"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8378"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8378"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}