Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe has thanked Xabi Alonso for helping him to learn new things in the sport of football. His comment comes in the wake of Real Madrid’s decision to sack Alonso from his role as Real Madrid head coach after just seven months in charge.
Alonso has since been replaced by his former Liverpool and Real Madrid teammate Alvaro Arbeloa who has been coaching Real Madrid’s junior teams since 2020. (Click highlighted text to read full story)
Alonso joined Real Madrid in the off-season in 2025 after excelling at Bayer Leverkusen where he won the German League and German Cup titles but a 3-2 loss to FC Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup Final sealed his fate.
Reacting to the news of Alonso’s sack, Mbappe thanked the Spanish coach for their time together and stated that it was a pleasure playing for him though several reports indicate Mbappe’s ego played a role in Alonso’s departure. Alonso’s relationship with Vinicius Jr. was reportedly rocky.
“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 1. 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 said on social media.
Following Madrid’s loss to Barcelona, Alonso called for Real Madrid players to form a guard of honour for Barca players but Mbappe refused and called for his teammates to ignore the head coach’s directive. Scroll down to watch Mbappe’s post-Barca game actions in what turned out to be Alonso’s final game in charge of Real Madrid.
Ojo a este vídeo porque me tiene llorando, Xabi Alonso llama a los jugadores para que le hagan el pasillo al Barça, y Mbappé le dice que para adentro, y como un corderito le hace caso. No he visto jamás un entrenador con menos aura y menos autoridad que él. Menudo meme. pic.twitter.com/1fSDuNYiJs
— Torren (@Torren__) January 12, 2026
