Real Madrid have officially announced that following the dismissal of Alonso, Álvaro Arbeloa has been appointed as the first-team head coach, promoted from his role as Castilla manager.

Official Statement from Real Madrid

Álvaro Arbeloa has served as head coach of Real Madrid Castilla since June 2025. His entire coaching career has been rooted in Real Madrid’s youth academy system. Starting in 2020, he led the Infantil A team to a league title in the 2020–2021 season, coached the Cadete A team in the 2021–2022 season, and took charge of the Juvenil A team from 2022 to 2025. During his tenure with Juvenil A, he achieved a historic treble in the 2022–2023 season (League, Copa del Rey, and Champions Cup), and went on to win another league title in the 2024–2025 season.

As a player, Álvaro Arbeloa was part of one of the most successful eras in Real Madrid’s history. Between 2009 and 2016, he made 238 official appearances for the club and won eight major trophies: two UEFA Champions League titles, one FIFA Club World Cup, one UEFA Super Cup, one La Liga title, two Copa del Rey titles, and one Spanish Super Cup.

At international level, Arbeloa was also a key member of Spain’s golden generation. He won the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa and two UEFA European Championships (2008 and 2012), earning a total of 56 caps for the Spanish national team.