Real Madrid contacted former legendary manager to replace Xabi Alonso

Real Madrid contacted former legendary manager to replace Xabi Alonso

Alvaro Arbeloa was the selected candidate to replace Xabi Alonso as the head coach of Real Madrid after the Spanish Super Cup in January.

However, the former youth team manager has not enjoyed the best of times at the club since taking over, and from the team crashing out of the Copa del Rey in his first game to now going trophyless, it has been a relatively forgettable journey.

As matters stand, all signs point to Arbeloa being dismissed from his position in June despite having the backing of the dressing room. After all, he has simply not done enough to demand a longer tenure.

Not the first choice

As relayed by Diario AS in a recent report, Real Madrid contacted club legend Zinedine Zidane to take over as Alonso’s replacement back in January.

The French legend was the administration’s preferred candidate to take over as the first-team manager, and they even made a call to Zidane to enquire if he could accept their proposal.

Real Madrid wanted to bring back Zinedine Zidane. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

The said contacts took place back in December, even before Alonso was sacked, when the decision over his future had just been made by the administration.

At that point, however, Zidane had already given his word and sealed his commitment to them to take over after the FIFA World Cup. Owing to that commitment, Zidane could not accept the offer.