Real Madrid will start the new season with a new coach, and that will be Xabi Alonso, announced Fabricio Romano.
Alonso will succeed Carlo Ancelotti, who is leaving at the end of the season after four years in charge of the "merengues" in his second term. The Spaniard will lead the team at the Club World Cup.
Alonso arrives at Real from Bayer Leverkusen, and has signed a three-year contract with the Madrid team.
"The club and the new coach have agreed that the new project should begin immediately, with a tournament in the United States, which for Real begins in mid-June, and is of vital importance to Florentino Perez and his board of directors. The prestige of winning the first Club World Cup and the lucrative prize fund of 150 million euros are forcing Real Madrid to decide on a coach who is entrusted with the future. No experiments with an interim coach are any longer an option. Xabi must get to work immediately," the Spanish media write.
The Spaniard was the coach of Real Sociedad's B team, while since 2022 he has been the head of the Leverkusen coaching staff.
Leverkusen won a historic double with Alonso last season, and also reached the Europa League final.
Alonso was a Real Madrid player from 2009 to 2014, with whom he won La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League.
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