Xabi Alonso will be presented as Real Madrid’s new coach on Monday, after he signed a three-year contract at the club.
Madrid confirmed on Sunday that Alonso, 43, would be Carlo Ancelotti’s successor, taking charge from June 1, with his first challenge being leading the team at next month’s Club World Cup.
The club said goodbye to Ancelotti — who has already flown to Brazil to take charge of the national team — on Saturday after a 2-0 win over Real Sociedad in their last game of the LaLiga season.
Alonso will formally sign his Madrid contract on Monday, accompanied by president Florentino Pérez, before being introduced as coach at the club’s Valdebebas training ground. he will then take questions from the media in his first news conference.
Alonso made 236 appearances as a Real Madrid player between 2009 and 2014, winning six trophies, and later began his coaching career at the club’s academy.
He then took a job with boyhood club Real Sociedad’s B team, before taking over Bayer Leverkusen in 2022, converting them from relegation candidates into 2024 Bundesliga champions.
Alonso has been Madrid’s long-term top target to succeed Ancelotti, and arrives after a season which has seen the club fail to win a major trophy for the first time since 2021.
On getting started next week, he will have little time to adjust, with the team heading to the United States for the Club World Cup ahead of their first game against Al Hilal in Miami, Florida on June 18.
The rebuilding of the team ahead of 2025-26 has already begun. Madrid have signed centre-back Dean Huijsen and sources have told ESPN they are hoping to bring in right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold in time for the Club World Cup. They are also working on a deal for Benfica left-back Álvaro Carreras.
Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick said he is “happy” to see Alonso take over at his team’s arch-rivals.
Asked about Alonso’s appointment, Flick said after Barcelona’s 3-0 win over Athletic Club on Sunday: “It was not a surprise, huh? I also spoke with him when he worked in Leverkusen. I spoke many times with him. I like him. I know his philosophy. It’s good to see his success in Germany on a really high level with a team, Leverkusen. Also the players improve a lot under his management. I like to see him here. I am happy to see him here.”
Information from ESPN’s Sam Marsden contributed to this report.
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