The 6 winners from Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid departure: Vini Jr, Bellingham…

Real Madrid have announced the departure of head coach Xabi Alonso. Nobody who’s followed the club this season will be surprised by the news.

The 44-year-old was appointed as Carlo Ancelotti’s successor in the summer and immediately got to work with the squad at the Club World Cup.

While results have been respectable – they’ve won 14 of 19 matches in La Liga this season and only trail leaders Barcelona by four points – his tenure has been characterised by a struggle to get his players buying into his tactical ideas amid reported friction in the dressing room.

The final straw proved to be the Super Cup final defeat to Barcelona, with the club posting a ‘Comunicado Oficial’ to announce the “mutual agreement” to end his tenure. Here are six players who will likely be thrilled by the news.

Vinicius Junior

The obvious one.

Vini’s contract negotiations have rumbled on behind the scenes all season. The Brazil international is among the club’s most lucrative assets, but he’s out of contract next year and reports out of the Spanish capital suggest he’s refused to sign an extension as long as Alonso remains in charge.

Things reached a head in October’s El Clasico victory over Barcelona. He was subbed off in the closing stages, lost his head, and screamed “Always me! I’m leaving the club!” as he made his way off the pitch.

The following day, Vini posted an apology on social media to “my team-mates, the club, and the president” but – tellingly – not his manager.

It looks as though he’s won this power struggle. It’ll be interesting to see if things reach an impasse in the coming weeks. Watch this space.

Jude Bellingham

While the midfielder played under Alonso at the Club World Cup, he missed pre-season and the opening weeks of the 2025-26 campaign after undergoing surgery on a longstanding shoulder issue.

He’s been a near ever-present in Alonso’s starting XIs since making his return, but a November report in Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo claimed the England international wasn’t especially pleased with the role he was being asked to play in the team.

Bellingham’s had his moments under Alonso, but he’s yet to rediscover the ultra-dynamic, Ballon d’Or-challenging form of his debut season with Los Blancos.

Rodrygo

The Brazilian endured a famously long goalscoring drought under Alonso. He went 32 matches without scoring, dating back to last season.

To be fair, most of his opportunities this season have come in dribs and drabs. A few minutes off the bench here or there. Just 11 of his 27 appearances under Alonso were starts, and only three times did he complete 90 minutes.

Rodrygo will be targeting less of a bit-part role under Arbelona.

Federico Valverde

Another interesting subplot from Alonso’s relatively short-lived reign was the role of Valverde.

It never appeared that there was a natural place for Valverde’s classic all-action, pitch-covering role in Alonso’s midfield. He certainly can’t replace Toni Kroos or Luka Modric in setting the tempo and helping to dictate terms in possession.

An injury crisis, with both Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dani Carvajal sidelined for long spells, saw him regularly deputising at right-back – to which he vocally and repeatedly voiced his displeasure, according to reports in Spain.

As a former right-back himself, new boss Alvaro Arbeloa might look to handle that situation differently.

Kylian Mbappe

We’re reading between the lines a bit with this one.

On the one hand, Mbappe has an exceptional record under Alonso. He’s notched 30 goals and seven assists in just 27 appearances under Alonso – the best ratio of any coach he’s worked under.

While Real Madrid’s biggest star is racking up the goals, the team have collectively looked dysfunctional. It doesn’t look as though they’ll be helping Mbappe claim his long-awaited first Champions League and Ballon d’Or.

There haven’t been any reports that Mbappe is unhappy with Alonso, but his carry-on in the wake of Madrid’s Super Cup defeat to Barcelona was a flagrant show of disrespect.

After this, Xabi must have thought

“Nope, it won’t happen here”

(Mbappe asking the team, and him, not to do the guard of honour to Barcelona) pic.twitter.com/43GLfE9AFj

— Guillem Balague (@GuillemBalague) January 12, 2026

Endrick

Talked up as the next Pele, let alone the next Rodrygo or Vinicius Junior, we’re yet to see any evidence of such a generational talent since Endrick made the move from Brazil.

The teenager spent his debut season on the periphery, adapting to life in a new continent, but he only seemed to fall further down the pecking order since Alonso succeeded Ancelotti.

He made a grand total of three appearances (one start) under Alonso before his mid-season loan move to Lyon.

A change in the dugout will give Endrick renewed hope of being reintegrated into the senior set-up at his parent club next season.

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