Xabi Alonso is sacked by Real Madrid

Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso has been sacked less than 24 hours after losing the Spanish Super Cup final to Barcelona.

The 44-year-old had come under increasing pressure in recent weeks amid rumours of a rift with his players and the defeat in El Clasico has proven to be the final straw for the board at the Bernabeu.

Madrid announced that Alonso, who made 236 appearances for Los Blancos as a player, has left the club this evening 'by mutual agreement'.

Alvaro Arbeloa, who played with Alonso during their time together at Liverpool, has been appointed as his successor. The 42-year-old has been working with Madrid's academy since 2020 and was promoted to coach Castilla, the club's B-team, last summer.

A statement read: 'Real Madrid CF announces that, by mutual agreement between the club and Xabi Alonso, it has been decided to end his time as first-team coach.

'Xabi Alonso will always have the affection and admiration of all Madrid fans because he is a Real Madrid legend and has always represented the values ​​of our club. Real Madrid will always be his home.

'Our club thanks Xabi Alonso and his entire technical team for their work and dedication during this time, and wishes them the best of luck in this new stage of their lives.'

The Spaniard leaves with Madrid four points adrift of bitter rivals Barcelona, who triumphed in the Super Cup on Sunday night thanks to a brace from Raphinha and a classy finish from Robert Lewandowski.

Gonzalo Garcia and Vinicius Jr, who has been at the centre of a reported feud with Alonso for much of this season, scored the Los Blancos goals but it wasn't enough, despite Barca midfielder Frenkie de Jong being sent off late on.

Alonso shared a brief embrace with Florentino Perez after the final whistle as the defeated Madrid stars picked up their runners-up medals, though the ruthless club chief pulled the plug on the former Bayer Leverkusen boss' reign just hours later.

Arbeloa, a former World Cup winner with Spain who played for both Madrid and Liverpool, is taking over on a permanent basis. His first game in the dugout will be against Levante at the Bernabeu on Saturday.

'Real Madrid CF announces that Alvaro Arbeloa is the new first-team coach,' an announcement, released just minutes after news of Alonso's sacking broke, read. 

Alonso joined the Spanish giants a mere eight months ago after a hugely successful spell in charge of Leverkusen, where he won the club its first ever Bundesliga title.

Having left at the end of last season, Alonso took over in the Spanish capital in time for the Club World Cup, from which Madrid were knocked out at the semi-finals stage.  

He won 13 of his first 14 domestic games in charge, the only loss - a damning one - coming against Atletico Madrid. 

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However a Champions League defeat to Liverpool in early November proved to be a turning point, with Madrid then going on a dismal run of just two wins in eight games which heaped pressure onto Alonso. 

Rumours of division at Madrid's Ciudad training complex didn't help the club legend either, with Spanish papers reporting that up to five players were thought to have been unhappy with his methods. 

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It was understood that Thibaut Courtois, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr all had concerns about Alonso's tactics, specifically his insistence on playing out from the back.

Vinicius in particular appeared less than pleased under the Alonso regime and, after being substituted in El Clasico in late October, was far from shy in venting his frustrations. 

The Brazilian later issued a public apology to his 'team-mates, the club and its president', though it failed to dispel speculation that the Madrid manager had lost the dressing room. 

Fede Valverde, the club's captain, was too rumoured to have doubted Alonso's methods and even had to debunk speculation that he refused to play during a Champions League game against Kairat Almaty in October. 

It came after Alonso deployed the Uruguayan as a full-back in the absence of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dani Carvajal, with Valverde defiantly claiming 'I wasn't born to play right-back' before the European clash.

Alonso did however bring about an admittedly brief change in fortunes over the festive period, with Los Blancos winning some five games in a row. 

But the upturn in form was not sufficient enough to convince the hierarchy at the Bernabeu to stick with their manager, who will no-doubt be linked with a return to the Premier League in the coming months.