Real Madrid news: Xabi Alonso's Bernabeu spell by the numbers

Xabi Alonso is no longer Real Madrid's manager. The capital club announced the Spanish coach's departure on Monday, just six months after his appointment. Several figures illustrate the surprise sacking of the former Bayer Leverkusen boss.

Appointed on May 25 as Real Madrid's new manager in place of Italian Carlo Ancelotti, Alonso was supposed to be the new figurehead of a new era for the capital club, who finished four points behind FC Barcelona in La Liga and were eliminated in the Champions League quarter-finals at the end of the 2024-25 season.

The mission of the manager who arrived from German side Bayer Leverkusen lasted just six months.

Deeply affected by a painful failure in the last summer transfer window – the non-arrival of midfielder Martin Zubimendi – Alonso leaves Los Blancos after only 34 matches in charge across all competitions.

To find the last Real Madrid manager pushed towards the exit with so few matches on the bench, you have to go back to Santiago Solari's brief spell, just 28 matches between November 2018 and March 2019 before Zinedine Zidane's appointment.

Xabi Alonso is the latest Real Madrid manager this century to last less than 50 games ? pic.twitter.com/PLK7qF1S47

— B/R Football (@brfootball) January 12, 2026

Xabi Alonso, few defeats but significant ones

Real Madrid did not give Alonso time, dismissing him just hours after Kylian Mbappe and his teammates' defeat to FC Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final (2-3).

The 44-year-old manager leaves after only six defeats, although five of them were heavy and memorable: 0-4 against Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup semi-finals, 2-5 against Atletico Madrid in La Liga, 0-1 against Liverpool and 1-2 against Manchester City in the Champions League, and therefore 2-3 against the Blaugrana yesterday, in a match that offered Alonso the chance to win his first trophy.

Xabi Alonso leaves Real Madrid with one of the best win percentages under Florentino Pérez ?

Sacked too soon? ? pic.twitter.com/QpCLvGfLXz

— LiveScore (@livescore) January 12, 2026

Impressive win ratio despite the sacking

In 34 matches in charge, Real Madrid achieved 24 victories under his leadership, a success rate of 70.5%.

A win ratio higher than Frenchman Zidane's two spells (69.8% and 60.5%) and Italian Ancelotti's (68.8%), although his two illustrious predecessors achieved these percentages over a far greater number of matches managed (263 for Zidane, 234 for Ancelotti).

Alonso is not even far off Portuguese Jose Mourinho's win ratio (71.3%). Surprising figures that left the Madrid hierarchy unmoved.

This article was originally published on Top Mercato.