Real Madrid appoint Xabi Alonso as new manager.

Real Madrid named Xabi Alonso as head coach on Sunday. He will replace Carlo Ancelotti starting June 1 and lead the team at the Club World Cup.

The club announced: “Xabi Alonso will be the Real Madrid coach for the next three seasons, from June 1, 2025 until June 30, 2028.”

Ancelotti is leaving to coach the Brazilian national team. Alonso, 43, will leave German club Bayer Leverkusen after the Bundesliga season, where they finished second.

Alonso played 236 games for Real Madrid between 2009 and 2014 and won six trophies with the club.

His official presentation is scheduled for Monday at 10:30 GMT.

During the 2023-2024 season, Alonso led Leverkusen to a league and German Cup double, finishing the league season unbeaten.

Alonso had an agreement with Leverkusen allowing him to leave if one of his former clubs—Real Madrid, Liverpool, or Bayern Munich—wanted to hire him.

Ancelotti’s last season at Madrid included winning the European Super Cup and Intercontinental Cup but ended with elimination in the Champions League quarter-finals against Arsenal.

Barcelona defeated Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup and Copa del Rey finals and won the Liga title.

Madrid added Kylian Mbappe last summer. Mbappe scored 31 La Liga goals this season.

Madrid lost 14 matches this season, after losing only two in the previous one.

Ancelotti, 65, is one of Madrid’s most successful managers, with 15 trophies over two spells totaling six years.

He won three Champions League titles with Madrid, including the 2014 La Decima, a team that included Alonso.

Alonso has been coached by Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho, and Vicente del Bosque. He is known for tactical knowledge and organizational skills.

As a player, Alonso won two European Championships and the 2010 World Cup with Spain.

He retired from playing in 2017 and coached youth teams at Real Madrid and Real Sociedad before joining Bayer Leverkusen in 2022.

Real Madrid signed defender Dean Huijsen from Bournemouth this summer. Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold, whose contract is expiring, is expected to join.

Madrid aims to sign Alexander-Arnold before the Club World Cup.

Real Madrid will face Al-Hilal in Miami on June 18 in their opening match of the FIFA Club World Cup, which will be Alonso’s first game as coach.