Xabi Alonso completed his first training session in charge of Real Madrid, ushering the biggest club in the world into a new era.
Real Madrid bid farewell to the legendary Carlo Ancelotti in May to welcome Alonso back to the Spanish capital. The former Bayer Leverkusen manager, who won six titles with Los Blancos as a player, is now tasked with leading Real Madrid back to the top of Spain and Europe following a disappointing 2024–25 season.
Alonso officially took charge of the team on June 1 and held his first training session eight days later. Many of the new manager’s best players were absent from the session, though, due to injury or international duty, including Vinícius Júnior, Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Aurélien Tchouaméni.
Still, Alonso arrived at Valdebebas ready to work with his new team ahead of Real Madrid’s first match in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup on June 18.
Here’s four takeaways from the Spaniard’s first training session at Real Madrid.
