Real Madrid have appointed Álvaro Arbeloa as their new first-team head coach following the mutual departure of Xabi Alonso.
The announcement was made on January 12, a day after Los Blancos suffered a narrow loss to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final.
In an official statement, the club said: “Real Madrid announces Álvaro Arbeloa as the new head coach of the first team.”
Alonso’s spell at the Santiago Bernabéu lasted less than eight months, with both parties agreeing to part ways.
Arbeloa, a former Real Madrid defender, steps up from managing Real Madrid Castilla, a role he has held since June 2025. His entire coaching career has been within the club’s youth system, starting with the Under-14s in 2020, progressing through the Under-16s and Under-19s.
During the 2022–2023 season, Arbeloa led the Under-19 team to a historic treble—winning the league, Copa del Rey, and Champions Cup—and followed it up with another league title in the 2024–2025 campaign.
As a player, Arbeloa represented Real Madrid from 2009 to 2016, making 238 appearances and winning eight major trophies, including two UEFA Champions League titles, LaLiga, the Club World Cup, and several domestic honors.
On the international stage, he was part of Spain’s golden era, earning 56 caps and winning the 2010 World Cup alongside European Championship titles in 2008 and 2012.