Real Madrid and Xabi Alonso had planned a joint run well before the club legend took over as coach, on June 1, 2025. This was the perfect match, a worthy replacement for Carlo Ancelotti. Two weeks after Alonso took over the reins, the Club World Cup came to an end, with virtually no pre-season. Six games and a loss to PSG in the semi-finals was the start of Alonso’s debut season. Seven months later, the successful coach at Bayer Leverkusen was done at Real. Now the club president indirectly explains that Alonso got very difficult working conditions, and almost doomed to failure.
Xabi Alonso clashed with several of Real Madrid’s superego stars and the atmosphere is said to have been bad in the dressing room. Nothing new at Real Madrid, but when results are not forthcoming, then the internal conflicts take up too much space. Club president Florentino Perez sums up the season that ended without titles, he does not point the finger at Xabi Alonso, but at FIFA’s Club World Cup.
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Club World Cup ruined Real Madrid’s season
“I would like to participate in the Club World Cup, but not at the expense of the whole season,” the Real Madrid president begins, according to transfer journalist Romano.
“The Club World Cup ruined for us this season. We had no pre-season, and after three months we had 28 injuries. It’s a learning process,” Perez explains to the world.
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This was a summary of Xabi Alonso’s working conditions until the club and coach “agreed” to terminate the contractual relationship.
