Real Madrid News
Official: Real Madrid annouce Xabi Alonso as their new manager
Real Madrid have officially named Xabi Alonso as their new manager, confirming a three-year deal with the Spanish coach.
The contract runs from June 2025 to June 2028, with the first two years fixed and the third depending on objectives.
The club announced that Alonso will be presented at Real Madrid City on Monday, 26 May, at 12:30 p.m., marking the start of a fresh chapter for the Spanish giants.
“Real Madrid C. F. communicates that Xabi Alonso will be the coach of Real Madrid for the next three seasons, from June 1, 2025 to June 30, 2028,” read a statement from the club.
Alonso steps in following the departure of Carlo Ancelotti, who led the team for several successful seasons.
Sunday’s game against Real Sociedad was Ancelotti’s final match in charge. It also served as a farewell for Luka Modric and Lucas Vazquez, though both will stay on until after the Club World Cup, the first competition Alonso will oversee as manager.
A new era rooted in Madrid’s traditions
🙌 #WelcomeXabi 🙌 pic.twitter.com/dbeOEnmHof
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) May 25, 2025
Appointing Alonso is more than just a coaching change, as it signals Real Madrid’s return to the ‘Spanish way’.
The club’s recent moves in the market, including bringing in young talents like Dean Huijsen and Alvaro Carreras, align with this approach.
This is not Alonso’s first stint with Real Madrid in a coaching role. He began his managerial career at the club’s academy during the 2018–2019 season, where he guided the U14 A side to a league title and a Champions Tournament win.
Since then, his reputation has only grown. His most recent success came with Bayer Leverkusen, where he enjoyed a historic spell, leading the team to the Bundesliga title, the German Cup, and the Super Cup in just three seasons.
Now back in Madrid, Alonso will look to build on that success at the highest level, this time from the Santiago Bernabeu dugout.
Real Madrid News
Rayo Vallecano manager names the one Real Madrid figure he would remove from the team
Rayo Vallecano face a daunting trip to the Santiago Bernabeu to take on a wounded Real Madrid this weekend.
Life after Inigo Perez has not been kind to the Vallecas-based club, who have already had to travel to Camp Nou and now face a trip to the home of their city giants.
Speaking ahead of the game (h/t Madrid Xtra), Rayo Vallecano manager Benat San Jose was asked which Real Madrid player he would like to remove from the team before this weekend’s game.
Surprisingly, his choice was not Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior or Thibaut Courtois.
“Mourinho”
Asked which Madrid player he would take out of the upcoming contest, Benat jokingly chose the man sitting on the opposition bench.
“Which Real Madrid player I’d remove from the match against them? Mourinho,” Benat said with a laugh.
The answer might have been delivered jokingly, but the Rayo coach immediately made clear just how highly he rates the Portuguese manager.
“He’s one of the best managers in history,” he added.
It is significant praise ahead of Saturday’s meeting at the Bernabeu.
Madrid’s squad contains enough individual quality to give any opposition coach several obvious answers, but Benat instead highlighted the influence Mourinho can have over the entire team.
That has become particularly relevant since the Portuguese coach returned to Madrid. His early work has focused on making a talented group function with greater collective discipline.
Courtois and Madrid’s attack also praised
Benat did not stop with the manager.
“They also have one of the best GKs in history and one of the best attackers in history,” he said.
Benat will definitely have seen how Thibaut Courtois played against Inter Milan in midweek and will hope that version does not turn up again this weekend.
Even when teams manage to create opportunities against Madrid, they still have to beat one of the defining goalkeepers of his generation.
At the opposite end, Madrid possess attacking quality capable of turning a match on its head.
The likes of Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham can all decide matches single-handedly.
Madrid have a point to prove
Madrid are coming off a disappointing loss to Real Betis in La Liga last weekend and will come into this game with a point to prove.
They will want to ensure that the loss to the Andalusian club was a one-off and that they return to winning ways against Rayo.
Their title rivals, Barça, have been flying high in the league, scoring goals and picking opponents apart for fun.
Madrid need to ensure that they do not hand too much early incentive to Barça, and it remains to be seen how Los Blancos fare against Rayo Vallecano.
