Former Real Madrid manager Rafa Benítez has suggested that internal politics played a role in the difficulties Xabi Alonso encountered during his short spell in charge of the club.
Speaking in an interview with the BBC, Benítez compared Alonso’s situation at Real Madrid with his own experience at the Santiago Bernabéu, pointing to similarities in their coaching methods and the challenges they faced while trying to implement their ideas.
“At Real Madrid, as you say, Xabi has many similarities to me.
He likes to work, organize things, and then talk to the players about what they want to do. But at Real Madrid, there’s a lot of politics involved. Perhaps that’s why it was more complicated,” Benítez said.
Alonso took charge of Real Madrid in June 2025, shortly before the Club World Cup, but his tenure lasted only until January. The club maintained that Alonso had not been fired, though his final months were accompanied by reports of tension within the squad, including a disagreement with Vinícius Junior.
Results alone did not necessarily point toward an imminent change. Alonso recorded 24 victories, four draws and six defeats in 34 matches before leaving the position.
Benítez can speak from experience about the pressure surrounding the Real Madrid job. The Madrid-born coach was appointed in the summer of 2015 and dismissed in January 2016 after only 24 competitive matches.
His team had recorded 16 wins, five draws and three defeats, while also finishing top of its Champions League group. Zinedine Zidane subsequently replaced him.
Benítez’s comments suggest he sees a parallel between the two tenures: coaches with detailed, structured approaches attempting to implement their methods within an environment where managing relationships and the internal dynamics of the club can be just as important as results.
Alonso’s reputation has remained strong since leaving Madrid. His appointment had originally followed an outstanding spell at Bayer Leverkusen, where he led the German club to an unbeaten Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double in 2023-24 while also reaching the Europa League final.
He has since taken over at Chelsea, beginning his tenure with a league victory over Fulham and former Real Madrid teammate Álvaro Arbeloa. Alonso became the first Chelsea manager since Maurizio Sarri in 2018 to see his team score three times in his first Premier League match in charge.
Benítez’s assessment adds another perspective to the discussion surrounding Alonso’s short-lived Real Madrid project. While the former Madrid coach did not identify specific individuals or incidents behind the “politics” he referenced, he indicated that Alonso’s difficulties went beyond what happened on the pitch.
