Real Madrid have turned to a familiar face for their next chapter, officially appointing former midfielder Xabi Alonso as head coach on a three-year contract.
The 43-year-old, who featured in 236 games for the club between 2009 and 2014, will lead the team until the end of the 2027-28 season.
Alonso is succeeding Carlo Ancelotti, who oversaw his final game for Los Blancos on Saturday and will now take the reins of the Brazil national team.
Alonso’s unveiling is set for Monday at Real Madrid’s training ground, and he’ll immediately turn his focus to the Club World Cup, where his first match in charge comes against Al-Hilal of Saudi Arabia on 18 June.
During his playing days at Real, Alonso was part of the squad that clinched the Champions League in 2014. Ancelotti had recently praised Alonso as “one of the best in the world,” a sentiment that resonates among Madridistas hopeful for a new era of success.
Alonso’s managerial journey began with Real Madrid’s under-14 side in 2018, before he moved on to lead Real Sociedad’s B team.
🤝 @XabiAlonso named new Real Madrid coach.#RealMadrid | #WelcomeXabi
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) May 25, 2025
His first taste of senior management came in October 2022 when he took charge of Bayer Leverkusen.
In just over two seasons, he transformed the club from relegation strugglers to German champions, making them the first team to complete an unbeaten Bundesliga campaign.
Despite his historic achievements last year, Leverkusen couldn’t hold onto their title this season, finishing runners-up to Bayern Munich.
Their European ambitions also fell short as they exited the Champions League in the round of 16 and suffered a surprising German Cup semi-final defeat to third-tier Arminia Bielefeld.
Alonso’s decision to leave Leverkusen marks a full-circle moment. He had previously turned down interest from Liverpool and Bayern Munich, expressing a desire to continue with Leverkusen.
But when the Real Madrid opportunity arose, the chance to return to the Santiago Bernabeu was too good to refuse.
