Following Carlo Ancelotti's departure at the end of the 24/25 season, there were many managers Real Madrid considered when searching for his replacement. Ultimately, the club decided to bring in former Bayer Leverkusen head coach Xabi Alonso, and after the first three games of the season, it seems the club made the absolute right call.
Alonso's men are off to a flying start, taking all nine points from the opening three games, scoring six goals while conceding only one. The new manager has quickly implemented his new system, which is a clear upgrade from the dying days of Carlo Ancelotti's tenure in charge.
However, Xabi Alonso was not the only former Real Madrid player turned manager that the club considered in their search for their new head coach. Real Madrid legend Raul was another name that the club briefly considered before ultimately deciding on Xabi Alonso.
As many may or may not know, Raul was the long time manager of Real Madrid's youth team Castilla from 2019 until 2025. The Spaniard had a somewhat mixed time in charge of Castilla winning 82 of his 209 games in charge while drawing 70 and losing 57. However he did lead the team to a championship in 19/20 UEFA Youth League which was his only trophy while in charge.
We have seen a rise of former players turned managers being hired by some of the top clubs across Europe recently, and it seems Raul could be next in line to make the jump to a major club in one of Europe's top leagues.
It only took four months for this Real Madrid legend to take Xabi Alonso's old job
As being reported by Mundo Deportivo, Real Madrid legend and former Castilla head coach Raul is being considered as a candidate for the vacant Bayer Leverkusen head coaching job following Erik ten Hag's sacking.
Raul stepped down from his role at Castilla in May of this year and has been without a job since. However, following recent events at Leverkusen he could be back in the dugout and return to the Bundesliga, where he spent time as a player playing for Schalke.
After only two games in charge, Leverkusen made the quick decision to sack manager Erik ten Hag after a poor string of results in preseason and the opening fixtures in the Bundesliga. This leaves Leverkusen in search of a true successor to Xabi Alonso, and that is where Raul could come into the picture.
He impressed with his time in charge of Castilla and played a crucial part in developing some of Real Madrid's brightest youngsters as of late like Nico Paz and Gonzalo Garcia. The Bundesliga side would be taking a gamble hiring Raul, but they took a gamble when they hired Xabi Alonso and we all know how that worked out for them in the end.