After 11 years, the Spaniard returns to Santiago Bernabéu in a new role.
Eleven years after his last appearance at the Santiago Bernabéu, Xabi Alonso is making his return—this time in a completely new role.
It had been all but confirmed, only the official announcement was pending. Just a day after Carlo Ancelotti’s departure was made official, Real Madrid confirmed that they had appointed Xabi Alonso as their new head coach.
The former midfield maestro of the club has signed a three-year deal. In a statement, the club confirmed that Alonso will be officially presented as Real Madrid’s head coach on Monday.
Ancelotti’s second spell at Madrid came to an end on Saturday with a 2–0 win over Real Sociedad in the final round of La Liga. The Italian leaves as the most successful manager in the club’s history.
Alonso, who made history this season with Bayer Leverkusen, will lead Madrid until June 2028.
As Madrid’s season gradually unraveled, so did Ancelotti’s position at the helm. At the same time, speculation around Alonso’s return grew stronger. Things began to solidify after their heavy defeat to Arsenal over two legs in the Champions League quarter-finals in April.
That was followed by a fourth loss to Barcelona this season—this time in La Liga—which sealed Ancelotti’s fate. The only thing left was to make Alonso’s arrival official, something even Ancelotti hinted at during a press conference just two days ago.
Real Madrid finished second in La Liga with 84 points, winning 26 and drawing 6 of their 38 games. But they lost to Barcelona in both the Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup finals.
Madrid has never lacked star power, and they still don’t. But after a trophyless season, bouncing back with a fresh start will be no easy feat. Alonso doesn’t have much time to ease into the role either—his first challenge will be the Club World Cup, starting mid-next month.
Fortunately, the former midfielder has already shown his capabilities from the dugout.
In 2022, Alonso took over Bayer Leverkusen, stepping into a senior team role for the first time. He quickly turned the struggling side around during the remainder of the season. And in the following campaign, he led them to a historic Bundesliga title—going undefeated throughout the league campaign, the first team ever to do so.
That same season, Leverkusen also lifted the German Cup and reached the Europa League final without losing a single match, until falling to Roma in the title clash. Across all competitions, Alonso’s team set a European record with a 51-game unbeaten streak.
This season may not have reached those same heights—Leverkusen finished second behind Bayern Munich and couldn’t defend their cup title—but they did set a new Bundesliga record for most away matches unbeaten. All in all, Alonso’s chapter in Leverkusen was a massive success.
Now, a far bigger challenge awaits: bringing the most successful club in Europe back to its winning ways.
