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The original was posted on /r/soccer by /u/Sparky-moon on 2026-01-13 17:30:51+00:00.
Summary:
It was a bolt from the blue.
Xabi Alonso’s position as Real Madrid head coach had been in danger for some time, but the brutal manner of his sacking on Monday evening still shocked.
Almost nobody knew it was coming. Players and staff were not told to expect the club’s announcement — nor were the communications team. One figure involved every day at Madrid’s training ground found out when reading the news on his phone in the supermarket.
Sunday’s 3-2 defeat by Barcelona in the Supercopa de Espana final followed five wins in a row, including a 5-1 success against Real Betis in La Liga the previous weekend. After the game in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Alonso and his players went to collect their runners-up medals. The image of Alonso and club president Florentino Perez embracing briefly on the podium now seems loaded with drama.
Rarely do the two men coincide in public. But Perez, who turns 79 in March, is the ultimate decision maker at Real Madrid. He holds all the power. What happened next showed how little Alonso really had.
With the Barcelona players about to go up to collect their trophy on the pitch, Alonso beckoned his Madrid players over to form a guard of honour — as Hansi Flick’s side had just done for them.
Alonso waved his arm and turned away, apparently convinced the players would follow his instruction. Nobody did. Kylian Mbappe, a short distance away, waved everyone in the opposite direction. The body language from Alonso as he realised what was happening, and became resigned to it, spoke volumes.
He has had real authority problems for some time. The new and modern methods he and his coaching staff brought in were not welcomed by some of Madrid’s senior players. They asked for more pressing, more tactical work and more discipline since the first days of his time in charge. He had been told by the club that was what they wanted, too; a break from the final days of Carlo Ancelotti’s second spell.
Tensions grew, ironically reaching a high point in late October and early November, when the team had won 13 of their first 14 matches of the season, including a victory against Barca at the Bernabeu that put them five points clear at the top of La Liga.
After defeat in the latest Clasico on Sunday, Madrid flew back from Saudi Arabia — the deal to play Supercopa games there was signed in 2019. On Monday morning, Alonso was at home.
The 44-year-old was not expecting to be sacked. Madrid had pushed Barca close and probably should have equalised late in the game, Alvaro Carreras and Raul Asencio missing two good chances from close range. The team was not due to train until the following day, and Alonso and his staff were busy analysing the Barca defeat. In messages with The Athletic that morning, they had expressed optimism about the way forward. Suddenly, all that went up in smoke.
Alonso was told to come to the training ground. There, the coach was informed he was being removed from his position, in a meeting with Jose Angel Sanchez, Madrid’s general director. Alonso told him in no uncertain terms that he thought the decision was wrong and unfair — and blamed his dismissal on the much-discussed culture of Galactico power at the Bernabeu.
Player power at Real Madrid is bigger than ever. It’s an extra challenge for Xabi Alonso.
The Spanish club have always been known for their Galacticos, but the latest generation reveals new trends and pressures.
For many outside observers, the club’s decision-making is mystifying: bringing in an elite and highly respected management team, asking them to make major changes, and sacking them just eight months later.
In messages with The Athletic on Tuesday morning, a source close to Alonso said the situation “didn’t turn out as we would have liked, because this is Madrid and Florentino is Florentino”.
Here, The Athletic’s Real Madrid correspondents Mario Cortegana and Guillermo Rai tell the full inside story behind Alonso’s sacking, including: How Vinicius Junior’s dramatic October outburst was an instrumental turning point.
The split among Madrid’s players — who supported Alonso and who did not How Alonso’s close friend and ex-Madrid, Liverpool and Spain team-mate Alvaro Arbeloa came to replace him, and what that means for their relationship now Tensions over transfer policy, player power and politics at one of the most intriguing institutions in world sport Why what Real Madrid described as “mutual agreement” was most definitely a sacking.
How the decision to do so reflects Perez’s ultimate power The information contained in this article reflects multiple conversations with various sources — among Madrid’s leadership, players, those close to Alonso and his coaching staff and sources at the training ground. All of them spoke anonymously to protect relationships.
At the end of October, Alonso and Madrid looked to be riding high. After beating Barcelona in El Clasico on October 26, they seemed to be enjoying their best moment of the season.
Madrid lost four times to Barca last term, so the 2-1 home victory was richly savoured. But all that glitters is not gold. In the 72nd minute of the game, with Madrid already leading by that scoreline, Vinicius Jr was substituted. The Brazil forward reacted angrily. As he left the pitch and went straight down the tunnel, he shouted “Always me! I’m leaving the team, it’s better if I leave, I’m leaving” in images captured by broadcaster DAZN.
It was a hugely dramatic moment — and in truth it was just the tip of the iceberg. At that point, The Athletic was already aware of growing tensions among several senior Madrid players over Alonso’s methods and ideas. When Alonso was hired as Ancelotti’s replacement in May, he arrived with the Madrid hierarchy’s blessing to impose more discipline. He inherited a dressing room accustomed to things that he did not believe were best for a team. Sources close to Alonso’s staff said “many bad habits” had taken hold.
The new coaching staff wanted more intensity in training and in matches. More pressing, more tactical instruction and analysis. They asked for better punctuality and more privacy around the group, restricting access to training sessions and the matchday dressing room in order to shield the team and prevent leaks to the media.
By October, this had led to a significant feeling of discontent behind the scenes. Sources said players were upset to find they now had little freedom to express their qualities on the pitch, contrasting Alonso’s more demanding and rigid approach with how things were under Ancelotti. Madrid’s home win against Barcelona was on a Sunday. On the following Wednesday (October 29), The Athletic published a substantial report into this situation. Among the players unconvinced by Alonso’s footballing ideas and personal approach were Vinicius Jr, Jude Bellingham and Federico Valverde.
Others such as Kylian Mbappe, Aurelien Tchouameni, Arda Guler, Dani Ceballos and Raul Asencio believed in the coach. But Vinicius Jr was at the centre of the situation — as well as the fallout, which lasted for months. In the days following his Clasico tantrum, the 25-year-old met with Madrid president Perez. He apologised for his behaviour during the match. He also explained that he felt extending his contract was not in his best interest while his relationship with Alonso remained strained, with his deal due to run until June 2027. Talks on a renewal have not progressed since. That same day, Vinicius Jr also apologised at Madrid’s training ground, with team-mates, Alonso and the coaching staff present. But it came as a surprise, to figures at various levels at Madrid, that he did not mention Alonso by name in his social media message on the subject. Sources close to Vinicus Jr confirmed leaving him out of the apology was a deliberate move. After Alonso’s sacking, several Madrid players posted messages of solidarity on social media. As of Tuesday evening, Vinicius Jr had not done so. Madrid decided not to fine Vinicius Jr for his outburst. According to multiple sources, that is the point at which Alonso began to definitively lose the dressing room. On November 1, Madrid beat Valencia 4-0 at home in La Liga. It was their 13th victory from 14 games in all competitions. By the end of that weekend, they were five points clear of defending champions Barcelona at the top of the table. Things quickly deteriorated, on and off the pitch.
Over the next seven matches, Alonso’s side won just twice. They were beaten by Liverpool in the Champions League and Celta Vigo in La Liga. They drew at Rayo Vallecano, Elche and Girona. Victories came at Olympiacos and Athletic Club — but both had a negative role to play. Around the time of the Olympiacos game on November 26, moves were made to try and bring the group closer together. This involved Alonso making some concessions, including a reduction in the amount of video analysis the team was asked to follow.
After a chaotic 4-3 victory in Athens, a first win in four games, players such as Mbappe and Eduardo Camavinga publicly defended the coach. Valverde did the same on social media, despite his limited connection with Alonso. Some sources at Madrid tried to promote the narrative that these internal meetings had been pivotal and had dramatically improved morale. Others downplayed their importance and continued to express concerns about the mood among the group.
Another key moment was the match against Athletic on Wednesday, Dec…
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