Article by Romeo Ene – Published on Monday, 12 January 2026, 23:19 / Updated on Monday, 12 January 2026 23:19
Valdano claims that Xabi was never really supportive of the club. He believes that everything “broke” at Christmas, when Florentino Perez did not mention the former Real coach in his speech.
Jorge Valdano is convinced, after Xabi Alonso was dismissed by Real Madrid: “I saw him unstable from the first day”
The 44-year-old Basque coach still had a contract until June 30, 2026, when he had an option to extend for a season.
“Xabi Alonso I saw unstable from the first day. I never felt that he had the support of the club. At Christmas, when Florentino gave that speech in which he did not mention Xabi, the situation seemed to me from that moment extremely delicate. Xabi was in a state of instability and discomfort.
He had a lot of injured players and the team was missing a strategist, and we all know how important that is.
Sometimes a single player can give a much better balance to the team and Real Madrid don't have that player,” analyzed the Argentine, winner of two UEFA Cups in 1985 and 1986, three Spanish league titles in 1986, 1987 and 1988, and a League Cup as a player, as well as the title of champion in 1995 as a coach, according to Marca.
“Xabi looked for different solutions, we can't say he didn't try. In addition, he faced the difficulty of expressing himself, having a lot of injured footballers, and this marked his path at Real Madrid, despite the fact that he came with an impeccable career at the highest level”, concluded Valdano, who also spoke about the new Madrid coach, Álvaro Arbeloa.
He knows the club and knows it deeply, because he has been part of the system for many years. He knows Xabi, so no doubt he has a lot of information about everything that happens in the first team.
As of now, it remains to be seen how he will manage to build a competitive team and be top in all competitions, which is what is required of him at Real Madrid.
– Jorge Valdanothe former striker of Real Madrid
