SHOCKING 3 Reasons Why Xabi Alonso Left Real Madrid

Real Madrid fans were dealt a major shocker as Xabi Alonso left his role as their manager after the loss to Barcelona in the 2026 Spanish Super Cup final, with the Xabi Alonso sack reason being the biggest question among the supporters.

Xabi Alonso failed to complete a full season as the Real Madrid manager, failing to prove himself as a viable long-term replacement for Carlo Ancelotti. There were several questions regarding Xabi Alonso tactics after the Supercopa de Espana loss. With the Spaniard's shocking departure catching many by surprise, we now look at the Xabi Alonso sack reason and why did Xabi Alonso leave Real Madrid.

Possible Reasons For Xabi Alonso Leaving Real Madrid

Xabi Alonso decided to leave his role as the Real Madrid manager after their 3-2 defeat to Barcelona in the Supercopa final on Sunday (January 11, 2026). With the second half of the 2025/26 season still to go, many Real Madrid supporters have started wondering about the Xabi Alonso sack reason. Here, we look at three possible reasons for Why did Xabi Alonso leave Real Madrid.

Falling behind Barcelona in La Liga Title Race:

Real Madrid have come a long way since defeating Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu in what was Xabi Alonso's first El Clásico as the Real Madrid manager. After a promising start with Los Blancos, things started to go really wrong for Alonso from the November-December period. After the 2-1 win over Barcelona in October 2025, Real Madrid started dropping points in La Liga. They dropped points to Girona, Elche, Rayo Vallecano, and Celta Vigo in the November-December period, which allowed Barcelona to soar above them in the title race. The Blaugrana headed into the Spanish Super Cup competition four points behind Barcelona in the title race, and Real Madrid's struggles in La Liga ultimately cost Xabi Alonso.

Spanish Super Cup Final Defeat:

For Xabi Alonso, the 2026 Spanish Super Cup posed as a possible way of winning his first trophy as Real Madrid manager after Los Blancos failed to win the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup title. After defeating Atletico Madrid in the semifinal, Los Blancos faced Barcelona in a thrilling final. Both teams scored in the first half of the Super Cup final, going into halftime with a 2-2 draw.

However, Barcelona scored the winning goal in the second half, and Xabi Alonso attracted a lot of criticism for Real Madrid's overly defensive approach in the El Clasico, where they went with a deep defensive block and tried to score on counter-attacks. The defeat in the Spanish Super Cup ended up being a key Xabi Alonso sack reason.

Failing to get top players performing at their best:

There was also a sense of frustration around Xabi Alonso among Real Madrid fans that Xabi Alonso couldn't get their major players to perform to their best. Vinicius Jr went on a 19-game goalless run before his goal in the 3-2 defeat to Barcelona, while Jude Bellingham has just five goals in 23 appearances this season. Federico Valverde and Trent Alexander-Arnold also experienced problems under Xabi, which ended up coming back to haunt the Spaniard.

Relationship Issues with star players

Another Xabi Alonso sack reason was that he shared strains in relations with some of the star players at the club. Alonso had a fiery interaction with Vinicius Jr after substituting him in the La Liga El Clasico against Barcelona, after which the Brazilian winger went down the tunnel and threatened to leave the club. he also had issues with Kylian Mbappe, who defied Alonso by urging the Real Madrid players to refuse a guard of honor for the Barcelona players after the Spanish Super Cup loss.

Xabi Alonso also struggled to properly integrate Arda Guler into his system, and Jude Bellingham struggled to fit into his system. Moreover, several Real Madrid players were reportedly unhappy by the amount of intensity that the Spaniard wanted them to show in training and in the pitch. He had issues with Rodrygo early in the 2025/26 season, with the Brazilian failing to get regular minutes, and Federico Valverde also complained about having to play as a right-back. Moreover, Xabi Alonso also reportedly wanted Real Madrid to make signings in the January transfer window, which they refused to do.

How did Xabi Alonso fare as Real Madrid manager?

Xabi Alonso, one of the best managers in the world, was appointed as Real Madrid's manager ahead of 2025 FIFA Club World Cup campaign. He ended up managing 28 games for Real Madrid, out of which they won 20 games and only suffered five defeats. Alonso averaged 2.25 points per game as Real Madrid manager, winning four of the six UEFA Champions League matches.