Real Madrid appoint Álvaro Arbeloa as Coach after sacking Xabi Alonso

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

Real Madrid C.F. has named former defender and Castilla head coach Álvaro Arbeloa as the new first-team manager, the club announced today in an official statement.

The appointment marks a bold internal promotion for the 43-year-old Madridista, who has spent the past six years climbing the ranks of the club’s youth academy and reserve team structure.

The full club statement read: “Real Madrid C.F. would like to announce that Álvaro Arbeloa will be the new first team coach. Álvaro Arbeloa has been the coach of Castilla since June 2025, and has spent his entire coaching career in Real Madrid’s youth academy since 2020.

“He coached the Under-14s A in the 2020-2021 season, winning the league title, the Under-16s in the 2021-2022 season and the Under-19s from 2022 to 2025. As coach of the Under-19s, he won the treble in the 2022-2023 season (League, Copa del Rey and Champions Cup) and the League in the 2024-2025 season. As a player, Álvaro Arbeloa was part of Real Madrid in one of the most successful periods of its history.

“He defended our shirt between 2009 and 2016, in 238 official matches. During that time he won 8 trophies: 2 European Cups, 1 Club World Cup, 1 Uefa Super Cup, 1 LaLiga title, 2 Copa del Rey trophies and 1 Spanish Super Cup. With the Spanish national team, Álvaro Arbeloa was also part of a historic era, in which he won the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and 2 European Championships (2008 and 2012). He was capped 56 times.”

The move comes after weeks of speculation following the mutual departure of Xabi Alonso as first-team coach earlier this month.

Sources close to the club describe Arbeloa’s appointment as a deliberate choice to maintain continuity, youth development philosophy, and deep institutional knowledge during a transitional period for the senior squad.

Arbeloa’s playing career at Real Madrid (2009–2016) saw him operate as a reliable, tactically intelligent full-back who could cover both flanks.

He was a key squad player during the transition from the Galácticos era to the Cristiano Ronaldo-led dominance, contributing to two Champions League titles (2014 and 2016), one La Liga crown, and multiple domestic cups. His versatility, work rate, and leadership earned him the respect of teammates and fans alike.

His coaching journey began immediately after retirement in 2017. Joining Real Madrid’s academy in 2020, he quickly demonstrated a knack for developing talent and implementing structured, possession-based football.

His standout achievement came with the Juvenil A (Under-19) side, where he secured a historic treble in 2022–2023 (league, Copa del Rey Juvenil, and UEFA Youth League) and another league title in 2024–2025.

He stepped up to Castilla (Real Madrid B) in June 2025, guiding the reserve team to a respectable mid-table finish in the Primera Federación while blooding several academy graduates into the first-team picture.

Club president Florentino Pérez is understood to have personally backed the appointment, viewing Arbeloa as the ideal bridge between the youth system and the senior squad.