Real Madrid stunned the world of soccer not once but twice on Monday, first announcing that they had parted ways with head coach Xabi Alonso, then revealing just minutes later that Álvaro Arbeloa had been appointed as his successor.
Alonso’s exit comes with Real Madrid four points behind Barcelona at the top of LaLiga and fresh off a 3-2 defeat to their Clásico rivals in the Spanish Super Cup final, played less than 24 hours after his departure was confirmed.
Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid record
Given Alonso’s tenure at the Bernabéu lasted less than eight months, you might think his record was disastrous compared to coaches who have had much longer spells in charge. However, that isn’t the case.
According to data from sports analytics company Opta, Alonso holds the fourth-best win percentage of managers in the club’s 116-year history. With 24 wins from 34 fixtures, the former Spain midfielder won 70.59% of his games in charge, level with Robert Firth, an Englishman who coached the club between 1932 and 1934.
Surprise coach leads the way
Only Manuel Pellegrini (75% from 48 games), José Mourinho (71.9% from 148 games), Radomir Antic (71% from 39 games) and Carlo Ancelotti (70.8% from 353 games) surpass Alonso in win percentage.
Legendary manager Miguel Muñoz, who won 14 trophies with the club between 1960 and 1974, did not even reach 60%, while Zinedine Zidane’s win percentage was under 70% in his first spell and just over 60% in his second.
High expectations and strong Barça
In an era when Real Madrid is expected to win every game and win convincingly, Alonso has paid the price for unconvincing performances and a perceived lack of direction for where the team is headed. A strong Barcelona as competition certainly did not help either.