playRobson: No surprise that Alonso was sacked (1:12)Stewart Robson gives his take on Xabi Alonso's sacking from Real Madrid. (1:12)Graham HunterJan 12, 2026, 02:36 PM ETCloseGraham Hunter is a Barcelona-based freelance writer for ESPN. com who specializes in La Liga and the Spanish national team. Follow on XEmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsSo, Xabi Alonso becomes the tenth permanent Real Madrid manager of Florentino Pérez's 21-plus-year presidential reign to be sacked without even completing a year in charge. Just when the 44-year-old Madrid playing legend seemed to have calmed the stormy waters that had threatened to overwhelm him since autumn, the biggest sin in the entire dictionary of Must Not Commit for Bernabéu managers, losing to Barcelona when a trophy is at stake, has cost him his job. Those around the Basque -- who leaves with Madrid only four points off the top in LaLiga, safely in the UEFA Champions League top eight and with a nervy Copa del Rey tie at Albacete on Wednesday -- will look back at the final instants of Sunday's Supercopa final and think dark thoughts about Álvaro Carreras and Raúl Asencio, who each had absolutely point-blank chances to score and take the final to penalties. Alonso, in retrospect, stands condemned, at least in the eyes of Pérez -- the only person whose opinion matters when a coach's fate is concerned -- of several offenses. First: the damage done to Alonso's public reputation and club credibility when, on substituting Vinícius Júnior in the victorious Clásico last October, the Brazil international erupted in petulant anger while showing complete disrespect for his manager.
