Xabi Alonso's Real Madrid departure has fuelled talk that he lost the dressing room and that not many players were behind him. The Spaniard left his role as Los Blancos manager on Monday in a surprising turn of events.
An announcement came from Madrid that confirmed the two parties had mutually agreed to part ways. But various reports suggest Alonso was sacked after a 3-2 defeat to Barcelona in the Supercopa de Espana final.
Madrid were second best throughout the final and Alonso turned to Kylian Mbappe off the bench late on. It appears the French forward only returned for the game to try and help keep his coach in the job.
Mbappe wanted Alonso to stay
Mbappe started the year on the sidelines after suffering a knee sprain and missed a 5-1 win over Real Betis in La Liga. He then remained in the Spanish capital once Alonso's players flew out to Saudi Arabia for the Supercopa finals.
But after Los Blancos beat Atletico Madrid 2-1 in the semi-finals, the Spanish coach revealed that Mbappe was set to fly to the Middle East. He suggested he could be in contention to play El Clasico against Barca on the Sunday.
All eyes were on whether Mbappe would start the final which didn't happen although he was introduced late on to try and grab a third equalizer on the night. His participation seems to have only occured because he wanted Alonso to remain as Madrid boss.
French outlet L'Equipe (via Madrid Zone) reports that Mbappe tried to save his boss' job by flying to Saudi and forcing himself to play to ensure Madrid won the trophy. He knew that if Los Merengues lost against the Catalans that his manager would be dismissed.
Alonso's handling of Mbappe was a talking point throughout the season with many feeling he should have been given less game time. This was the consensus once he was ruled out at the start of 2026 with a knee injury.
Mbappe's message to Alonso speaks volumes
Mbappe had a close relationship with Alonso and this was evidenced by the France captain's farewell message to his former manager. He wrote on his Instagram story:
“It’s been short but it was a pleasure to play for you and learn from you. Thank you for giving me the confidence since day one. I will remember you as a manager who had clear ideas and knows many things about football. Best of luck for your next chapter.”
Mbappe featured 28 times under Alonso, posting 30 goals and seven assists and was arguably the Spaniard's best player during his short-lived reign. But it was Vinicius Junior who often was at odds with the coach and his decision to stall over a contract extension came amid reports of a rift between the pair.