Xabi Alonso walked into the Bernabeu with one of the best coaching reputations in Europe. He had just led Bayer Leverkusen to an unbeaten Bundesliga title, and Real Madrid fans expected him to bring the same magic to Spain. Instead, his time in charge lasted only 233 days. By January 2026, he was gone. So what actually happened behind the scenes?
Three Stars Who Never Bought In
According to reports from The Athletic and ESPN, three of Real Madrid’s biggest names were never fully convinced by Alonso’s methods. Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham, and Federico Valverde all reportedly doubted his ideas long before results turned bad. This tension didn’t start as a public fight. It built up quietly over several months.
Vinicius, in particular, struggled with his reduced role. Alonso left him out of 20 of Real Madrid’s 33 competitive matches that season, and he only played the full 90 minutes on nine occasions. As a result, Vinicius grew increasingly frustrated with how the team used him.
The Clasico Outburst That Changed Everything
Tensions boiled over in late October during a Clasico win over Barcelona. Vinicius was substituted late in the game, and he did not hide his anger about it. Cameras caught his reaction, and the moment quickly became a symbol of the wider unrest in the dressing room.
Meanwhile, Valverde had his own grievance. Alonso had been playing him at right-back instead of his preferred midfield role, and the Uruguayan made his discomfort clear in public. Bellingham, too, felt he hadn’t found his rhythm under the new system, even though he showed flashes of his usual quality.
Not Every Player Turned Against Him
Despite the unrest, Alonso still had support inside the squad. Kylian Mbappe stood out as his most important ally, and he was widely considered the team’s best player that season. Aurelien Tchouameni, Arda Guler, Dani Ceballos, and Raul Asencio were also named as players who backed the manager’s approach.
However, having some support wasn’t enough to hold things together. One particularly telling moment came after Real Madrid lost the Spanish Super Cup final to Barcelona. Alonso suggested his players form a guard of honour for the new champions. Before he could organize it, Mbappe stepped in and waved off the idea in front of his own teammates, overruling his manager in full view of the cameras.
The Sacking
That Super Cup defeat turned out to be the final straw. Real Madrid announced Alonso’s exit that same night, officially describing it as a “mutual agreement.” Sources close to the situation told ESPN it was actually a dismissal, driven by the Vinicius situation, inconsistent results, and the growing rift in the squad.
Alvaro Arbeloa, who had been coaching Real Madrid’s reserve team, took over immediately. Still, the change didn’t fix things right away. In his very first match in charge, Arbeloa’s side suffered a shock defeat to second-tier Albacete and crashed out of the cup.
Where Real Madrid Stand Now
The chaos hasn’t fully settled since Alonso’s departure. Arbeloa’s Champions League campaign stalled in the quarter-finals against Bayern Munich, and Real Madrid have also fallen well behind Barcelona in the LaLiga title race. Reports now suggest Arbeloa may not last much longer either, with Jose Mourinho strongly linked as a possible replacement.
In the end, Alonso’s exit says as much about Real Madrid’s dressing room culture as it does about his own coaching. Even a manager with his pedigree found it difficult to change a group of players who, historically, have often outlasted their coaches at the Bernabeu.
