Madrid appoint Alonso as Ancelotti's successor

Xabi Alonso has been confirmed arsenic Real Madrid's caller caput coach, taking implicit from Carlo Ancelotti for this summer's Club World Cup.

The 43-year-old, who made 236 appearances for Madrid arsenic a subordinate and began his coaching vocation astatine the club's academy, joins Madrid aft an awesome three-year spell astatine Bayer Leverkusen, wherever helium won the Bundesliga.

Having enactment pen to insubstantial connected a three-year woody until June 2028, helium volition instrumentality complaint of the squad starting with adjacent month's Club World Cup successful the United States, up of the 2025-26 play and volition beryllium presented arsenic Madrid manager connected Monday.

"Alonso is 1 of the biggest legends of Real Madrid and satellite football. He defended our garment successful 236 authoritative games betwixt 2009 and 2014. He won six titles during this time: the 10th European Cup successful Lisbon, 1 European Super Cup, 1 league title, 2 Spanish Cups and 1 Spanish Super Cup," the nine said successful a statement.

"Now he's returning to Real Madrid arsenic 1 of the champion coaches successful the satellite aft making past with Bayer Leverkusen," the nine said.

Ancelotti leaves the Santiago Bernabéu aft a disappointing 2024-25 run ended without a large trophy, missing retired to Barcelona successful LaLiga and the Copa del Rey, and being eliminated successful the Champions League quarterfinals.,

ESPN reported that Alonso has been Madrid's long-term, preferred people to instrumentality implicit from Ancelotti, and the Spanish giants person intimately followed his advancement astatine Leverkusen.

The erstwhile Spain planetary took implicit the Bundesliga broadside successful October 2022 with the squad languishing successful the relegation zone. He transformed the squad and led them to an unbeaten home treble successful 2024.

This season, helium coached Leverkusen to 2nd spot successful the Bundesliga, portion successful the Champions League, they were beaten by Bayern Munich successful the circular of 16.

Alonso had a hugely palmy vocation arsenic a player, starring for Liverpool, Madrid and Bayern, arsenic good arsenic the Spain nationalist squad wherever helium won the 2010 World Cup and 2 European Championships.

An elegant midfielder, Alonso joined Madrid successful August 2009, winning LaLiga and 2 Copa del Reys, earlier winning a Champions League medal -- coached by Ancelotti -- successful 2014.

After retiring arsenic a subordinate successful 2017, helium began coaching astatine Madrid's academy, and past took a occupation with hometown nine Real Sociedad's B-team, earlier joining Leverkusen.

Alonso volition beryllium tasked with rebuilding a Madrid squad packed with prima players specified arsenic Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham, but which has fallen abbreviated this season.

Ancelotti, who had been successful the occupation since 2021, came nether unit aft an underwhelming run ended with Madrid being beaten 5-1 connected aggregate by Arsenal successful the Champions League, losing the Copa del Rey last 3-2 to Barcelona, and being beaten to the rubric by the Catalan side.

Ancelotti said goodbye to fans aft Madrid's past league crippled of the play connected Saturday against Real Sociedad astatine the Bernabéu.

Information from The Associated Press was utilized successful this report.