Álvaro Arbeloa has been named Real Madrid’s new head coach just moments after the club stunned the soccer world by announcing they have parted ways with Xabi Alonso.
“Real Madrid C. F. wishes to announce that, by mutual agreement between the club and Xabi Alonso, it has been decided to bring his time as first-team coach to an end,” begins the first of two official statements released by the LaLiga giants.
A matter of minutes later, a second statement dropped, starting: “Real Madrid C. F. would like to announce that Álvaro Arbeloa will be the new first-team coach.”
Alonso gives Arbeloa seal of approval as Real Madrid coach
The developments come a little over a month after Alonso essentially predicted his fate. At a press conference, he was asked whether he saw Arbeloa—then coaching Real Madrid Castilla, the club’s B team—as a potential first-team head coach.
With Alonso under pressure, the question was somewhat awkward:
“I wanted to ask you about Álvaro Arbeloa, a good friend of yours who’s the head coach of Real Madrid Castilla,” the reporter began. “He’s one of the names people are currently talking about as a potential head coach of Real Madrid in the future. With the good relationship you two have, do you talk about these kinds of things? And what do you think?”
Alonso initially appeared taken aback. “What do I think about what?” he asked. After a quick clarification, he eventually gave a brief response:
“Yes, I think Álvaro can be a Real Madrid head coach in the future. I think he’s doing really well.”
Did Alonso realize he was essentially sealing his own fate just a few weeks later?