Real Madrid confirmed Alvaro Arbeloa as their new coach on Monday following the departure of Xabi Alonso, who lasted just seven months in the position.
The former Real Madrid defender has been in charge of the club’s B team since June 2025 – and also spent the last six years working with the academy.
Below is what you need to know about Alvaro Arbeloa as he takes up Real Madrid’s top job.
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Playing Career: Arbeloa came through the academy at Real Madrid in the early 2000s.
He spent three full seasons with Real Madrid Castilla, the reserve team, two of those spent in the Segunda División B.
In the 2004–05 season, he contributed 32 games and one goal as they returned to the Segunda División after a 14-year absence.
On 16 October 2004, he made his La Liga debut with the main squad, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 1–1 away draw against Real Betis.
He joined Deportivo La Coruna in 2006, where he made 21 appearances before joining Premier League giants Liverpool in January 2007 under the tutelage of Rafa Benitez.
He was part of the Liverpool side that lost the Champions League final to AC Milan in 2007. He made 66 appearances for the Reds before moving back to Real Madrid in 2009.
At Real Madrid, he made a total of 153 appearances between 2009, and 2016, winning a total of five trophies including two Champions League trophies.
He had a short stint at West Ham in 2016 before announcing his retirement from football the following year at the age of 34, after a professional career that spanned 15 years.
International Career: Arbeloa made his debut for Spain against Italy in 2008, and he was part of the squad that won the UEFA Euro 2008 trophy.
He was also part of the team that won the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, and two European Championship trophies in 2008, and 2012.
Arbeloa made a total of 66 appearances for Spain between 2008, and 2013.
Coaching Career: 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 the 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.
Castilla are currently fourth in Group A with a record of 10W-1D-8L.
Arbeloa will be expected to unite the Real Madrid dressing room after reports of disunity among the players.
Meanwhile, Football fans have taken to social media to react to the appointment of Arbeloa as Real Madrid’s new coach.
Kriptoblue criticised Real Madrid’s President, Florentino Perez, for appointing an inexperienced coach to replace Alonso.
He wrote on X: “What exactly are they aiming for by letting go of an experienced and a proven coach like Alonso and replacing him with Arbeloa, who has no real managerial achievements yet? Honestly, it feels like Real Madrid President Perez might have made this decision while not in the clearest state of mind.”
Boldbrush was disappointed with Arbeloa’s appointment.
He wrote on X: “It will end in tears, and I can see the future. I hate what the board is doing to the team. It doesn’t make sense. Alonso to Arbeloa, wahala pro max.”
Johnson Damilare blamed Alonso for the team’s flat performances during his tenure.
He wrote on X: Xabi Alonso at Real Madrid has been a straight-up flop. All the hype, all the talk about “Madrid DNA” and “modern tactics,” yet the football is flat, results are inconsistent, and the team looks less convincing than before he arrived.
“At Real Madrid, potential doesn’t win you time performance does. If you strip away the nostalgia, Alonso simply hasn’t delivered at the level this club demands.”
Boss FT said Real Madrid made a bad decision by letting go of Xabi Alonso.
He wrote on X: “Worst decision to sack Xabi and not to build a team with a bright future. I guess it‘s easier to hire a new coach with no experience than to buy the desired and much needed players for this squad.”
Arbeloa will make his Real Madrid debut in a Copa del Rey clash against Albacete on Wednesday.