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Whether the already challenging situation for Álvaro Arbeloa becomes easier or even harder is hard to say. When Real Madrid announced the early departure of Xabi Alonso on Monday, the 42-year-old immediately became the man of the hour.
Because Arbeloa, previously the coach of the second team, is not only a true Royal through and through, but above all a close friend of the failed star coach. Someone whose career has developed in an almost eerily parallel way to Alonso's. Real’s new beacon of hope is Alonso’s shadow man and is now supposed to save what currently threatens to fall apart.
Two Careers in Lockstep
To understand the relationship between the two Spaniards, you have to travel back in time to Liverpool in 2007. Arbeloa moved from Deportivo La Coruña to Anfield Road, where Xabi Alonso was already established and part of the legendary 2005 Champions League winning squad. The elegant strategist and the uncompromising right-back spent two years together in the chilly north of England.
When Arbeloa returned to his boyhood club Real Madrid in the summer of 2009, it took just eight days for Alonso to follow him. From then on, they were practically inseparable.
Together, they won everything there was to win at Real. And they also made history in the Spanish national team jersey. To the European Championship titles of 2008 and 2012, they added the World Cup trophy in 2010. Arbeloa and Alonso played a total of 262 competitive matches side by side—more than Arbeloa played with any other teammate.
Their active careers ended in 2017. Of course, at the same time. How could it be otherwise? Alonso said goodbye at Bayern Munich, Arbeloa at West Ham United. Alonso described their bond with emotional words at the time. "Since our time in Liverpool and later in Madrid, we have been inseparable, because Alvaro offers you his unconditional friendship," he explained in an open letter.
From Castilla to the Coaching Olympus
Both then returned to Madrid, both embarked on coaching careers. Alonso later took the "detour" via Real Sociedad and Bayer Leverkusen, where he made a name for himself as a successful coach and double winner.
Arbeloa, on the other hand, stayed with the Royals. He coached the U14s, the U16s, and the U19s, with whom he won the national double in 2023. Last summer, he finally took over Castilla. When Alonso simultaneously became head coach of the first team, Arbeloa posted a photo of them together on Instagram. "I am very happy about this new chapter in the history we have written together," he announced.
📸 ANDREW YATES – 2010 AFP
But this shared story ended abruptly on Monday. After just 232 days, Alonso had to go. In the league, Real is four points behind FC Barcelona, in the Champions League only enough for seventh place, plus the lost Supercopa. The star ensemble around Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior, and Jude Bellingham was never fully under Alonso’s control. Now Arbeloa is supposed to restore order.
The Coach Arbeloa: More than Mourinho 2.0?
What kind of football he will play remains to be seen. Spectacle was certainly not the focus with the second team; structure was more important. Since Arbeloa was significantly influenced by José Mourinho, many observers already suspect this is no coincidence.
He had a close relationship with the Portuguese and publicly defended his controversial approaches several times. Mourinho, in turn, praised Arbeloa during his Real farewell in 2016: The defender was "certainly on the podium of the most important players" he had ever worked with and also an "extraordinary guy." However, many fans also remember the destructive football of that era and fear a return.
Arbeloa himself was quick to dispel this comparison. "I haven’t spoken to Mourinho. For me, it was a privilege to be coached by him, someone who had a great influence on me," he said at his first press conference. Nevertheless, he made it clear: "I will be like Arbeloa. I’m not afraid of failure, but if I tried to be like Mourinho, I would fail spectacularly."
He has had many coaches, Arbeloa continued, and all of them have influenced him. "You have your own way of being and you take the best from everyone. Many are legends, they have won everything in football. I hope I can be half as good as many of them."
Perhaps that is exactly his greatest strength. Arbeloa was never the loudest, never a glamour pro. He studied journalism during his career, ran marathons, avoided any kind of star airs. The bad news: except for the studying and the marathons, the same applies to Alonso. But perhaps Arbeloa will succeed in stepping out of the shadow of his much more prominent friend and getting the biggest football club in the world back on track.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.
📸 Denis Doyle – 2026 Getty Images
