Real Madrid's sudden announcement of the departure of Xabi Alonso, after the 3-2 defeat to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup, was followed by the announcement of Álvaro Arbeloa as new head coach of the first team. "Real Madrid C. F. would like to announce that Álvaro Arbeloa will be the new first team coach", said the club in a statement, without giving indication of how long he is intended to stay.
Álvaro Arbeloa joined Real Madrid at the age of 18, in 2001. He went through all the youth teams of Los Blancos, including the reserve team Real Madrid Castilla, but continued his career in Deportivo la Coruña. He joined Liverpool in January 2007, back when it was managed by another Real Madrid veteran, Rafa Benítez.
He didn't stay there long, as Real Madrid bought him back in 2009, and played there until the 2015/16 season, where he lifted Champions League under Zidane. He then played his final season in West Ham United. With Madrid, he won LaLiga 2011/12, two Spanish Cups, and two Champions League titles, in 2014 and 2016, among others. He also lifted World Cup 2010 and UEFA Euro 2008 and 2012 in his 56 appearances for Spain between 2008 and 2013.
As a manager, Arbeloa has only worked at Real Madrid, starting with the Under-14s A in the 2020-2021 season, then the U-16s in the 2021-2022 season and the Under-19s from 2022 to 2025. He has won many titles with the youth teams, including the treble in the 2022-2023 season (League, Copa del Rey, and Champions Cup) with the U-19s.
Álvaro Arbeloa, head manager for Real Madrid, but nobody knows for how long
In May 2025, he was promoted to Real Madrid B (Real Madrid Castilla), but has left the team to join the main team from January 12. His first match will be a round of 16 match against Albacete on Wednesday, January 14.
According to specialised media AS, Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez is fond of Álvaro Arbeloa and has always sided with the club in institutional issues. He is said to be a very interventionist coach during matches. And despite his young age, 42 years, two younger than Alonso, he has good experience as manager... but never on a "big team" before.
Do you think Arbeloa will last more than one year in Real Madrid?