How Alonso’s dream became Real nightmare

Xabi Alonso’s reign as Real Madrid coach lasted less than eight months as the Spaniard agreed a deal to depart from the Spanish giants on Jan 12.

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The former midfield maestro was expected to overhaul Real’s game with a cerebral and tactically adroit approach, but his team flattered to deceive.

By the end, Real looked in similar shape to how they performed last season, where they ended up without a major trophy, as they were outplayed by Barcelona in a 3-2 Spanish Super Cup final defeat on Jan 11.

Four points behind the La Liga leaders and sitting seventh in the league phase of the Champions League, Florentino Perez took action and replaced Alonso with reserve team coach Alvaro Arbeloa.

The axe above Alonso’s neck was waiting to drop for several weeks, as a run of five victories kept him in his post until the Clasico in Saudi Arabia.

Alonso, who gained plaudits at Bayer Leverkusen after winning the Bundesliga undefeated in 2024, arrived at Real with dreams of leading the team to glory like Carlo Ancelotti or Zinedine Zidane before him.

However, the 44-year-old’s early dismissal leaves him among a less illustrious list of other swiftly ousted coaches including Rafael Benitez and Julen Lopetegui.

Alonso would have liked a new midfield arrival in the summer after the departure of Luka Modric in the summer and Toni Kroos the year before, but none was forthcoming.