Supercopa defeat ends Xabi Alonso’s short Real Madrid reign

A familiar Madrid ending

Xabi Alonso has become the tenth permanent Real Madrid manager under Florentino Pérez to be dismissed without completing a full season.

The decisive blow was Sunday’s Supercopa final defeat to Barcelona — the one sin that remains unforgivable at the Bernabéu when silverware is on the line. Despite Madrid sitting just four points off the top of LaLiga, safely inside the Champions League top eight and still alive in the Copa del Rey, the loss proved fatal.

Those close to Alonso will point to the dying moments in Jeddah, when Álvaro Carreras and Raúl Asencio both had clear chances to force penalties. Instead, Madrid fell — and Pérez acted.

Vinícius moment that changed everything

One incident continues to loom large in the president’s thinking.

Back in October, Alonso substituted Vinícius Júnior during a Clásico victory, prompting an angry public outburst from the Brazilian, who screamed: “This is why I’m going to leave this team.” Even in victory, the episode damaged Alonso’s standing.

Pérez’s priority is clear: Vinícius must renew his contract at all costs. While Alonso later repaired the relationship and helped Vinícius deliver his best performance since Carlo Ancelotti’s departure, the damage to Pérez’s trust appears to have been irreversible.

Losing finals still a capital offense

At Real Madrid, context rarely matters. Lose a major final to Barcelona, and explanations are irrelevant.

Alonso’s Supercopa exit followed a run of uneven domestic performances and home defeats to Manchester City and Celta Vigo. In the ensuing blame game, the coach — rather than the squad or club hierarchy — became the fall guy.

This pattern is nothing new. Under Pérez, early dismissals have often preceded trophy-laden eras, reinforcing the president’s belief that ruthless decisiveness works.

Failure to “play the game”

Perhaps Alonso’s biggest mistake was not tactical, but political.

Throughout his career — as a player and a coach — Alonso has been revered, protected and trusted. At Madrid, that status does not exist. Managing upward is essential, and Alonso was slow to adapt.

His cool distance from Madrid’s media, a perceived sympathy with Pep Guardiola during City’s visit to the Bernabéu, and moments such as Kylian Mbappé openly overruling him after the Supercopa final all fed into an image of weakened authority.

By the time Alonso softened his public approach and attempted to win allies, it was already too late.

A sacking few expected — except Pérez

What made the decision so striking was how unexpected it seemed externally.

Spanish media were largely supportive after the final, praising Madrid’s reaction and absolving Alonso of blame. Headlines focused on missed chances, not managerial failure. Players were clearly backing their coach, and results were improving.

But Florentino Pérez operates on a different timeline — and with different priorities.

With the stadium redevelopment failing to deliver the desired legacy, Barcelona lifting trophies again, and time no longer on his side, Pérez is accelerating decisions in pursuit of control, dominance and history.

Arbeloa inherits unresolved problems

By handing the reins to Álvaro Arbeloa, Pérez has chosen continuity over introspection.

Whether Alonso was the right man or not, many of Madrid’s underlying issues remain untouched. But history suggests Pérez will not dwell on that — his belief is that forceful change eventually bends reality in his favor.

This time, though, there are doubts.

Xabi Alonso leaves having only partially failed — and perhaps largely misjudged what managing Real Madrid truly demands.