Turmoil in Madrid, but Real are sticking with Alonso
Reading Time: 6min | Tue. 25.11.25. | 20:31
The dressing room is divided and some players are not satisfied with the manager
The defeat to Liverpool, the draw with Rayo Vallecano, the draw with Elche — these are the outcomes of Real Madrid’s last three matches, and it’s expected that under such circumstances there is little peace at the Bernabeu. Real Madrid is going through one of its most tense weeks of the year, but despite everything, Xabi Alonso’s position is not in question. On the contrary, the club has sent a clear message both publicly and internally: “Xabi is the boss,” reports Marca. In Valdebebas, they consider Alonso the long-term architect of the project, and his authority stands above every player, no matter how important. Although the team has gone three games without a win, lost its first match in Europe, and allowed the lead over Barcelona to shrink to just one point, the board sees no reason for doubt. Support is absolute—from tactical experiments to using a back-five against Elche, to benching Vinícius, which caused the biggest stir.
Inside the team, however, the atmosphere is much more strained. The draw against Elche, in which the opponent was better and led twice, left deep marks. Several senior players reacted angrily, and in conversations with people from the dressing room (unnamed Athletic sources), phrases like “this team is a disaster,” “negative energy,” and “pessimism is in the air” dominate. At the start of the season, there was huge euphoria around Xabi’s arrival, but now, as the first turbulence hits, part of the squad is showing signs of fatigue and frustration. One member of the coaching staff admitted that “the level of expectations in Madrid devours everything,” while another source says the team still doesn’t know how to “control the rhythm of matches,” which is one of the main problems. Spanish media speculate that the group of players dissatisfied with Xabi Alonso’s work includes Vinícius Junior, Rodrygo, Federico Valverde, Brahim Díaz, Ferland Mendy, and Endrick, while on his side are Kylian Mbappe, Thibaut Courtois, Arda Güler, Dean Huijsen, and Alvaro Carreras.
The biggest bombshell, however, as previously reported, exploded off the pitch: according to reliable information, Vinícius Junior has told Florentino Perez that he does not want to negotiate a new contract while his relationship with Xabi Alonso remains this cold. The Brazilian, who was untouchable under Ancelotti, is now just part of the rotation—he has played the full 90 minutes only five times this season and has started on the bench four times. His frustration peaked during El Clasico, when he angrily left the pitch, and tensions have not eased. Alonso claims everything was discussed and agreed in advance, but Vinícius clearly feels he has lost the status and influence he enjoyed for years.
At the same time, the club is facing one of the biggest institutional challenges of the modern era. At the annual assembly, Florentino Perez announced that Real Madrid plans to open its doors to external investors—something that has never happened before. Under normal circumstances, this would be the story of the week, but now it has been overshadowed by the poor results and the crisis in the dressing room. On the personnel front, information appeared about a possible early return of Nico Paz, but both Real and Como made it clear that this will not happen in January. Meanwhile, young forward Gonzalo García had an offer from Getafe, but it was rejected because Xabi sees him as part of the rotation for the second half of the season. Despite the turmoil, the club wants to maintain stability until the end of the season.
When all is summed up, Madrid is in a classic “mini-crisis” — one it has found itself in many times. The results aren’t catastrophic, but the atmosphere is problematic. The players are nervous, the coach is under pressure, and the biggest star is sending warnings about his future. Still, on one point there is no doubt: Real Madrid stands firmly behind Xabi Alonso. The project that began in June 2025 will not be shaken by the first blows. The club believes such periods are normal and that Alonso is the perfect long-term solution. The question remains: how long will the players — above all Vinícius — be willing to accept a hierarchy in which they are no longer untouchable? And how quickly will results turn back in the coach’s favor? In Madrid, nothing is resolved through statements or internal messages. Everything is resolved on the pitch.
🚨 BREAKING: Real Madrid have made their decision: they are FULLY backing Xabi Alonso.
— Madrid Zone (@theMadridZone) November 25, 2025
The message from inside the club is: "Xabi is the boss, he's above all players, no matter how important they are, he's the leader of the project and there are ZERO doubts about him." @marca pic.twitter.com/H3fDD6HjRH
It’s hard to remember a clash of egos in the dressing room of a major club quite like the current one at Real. In elite European football, tensions between stars and coaches are not rare, but the intensity, the breadth, and the speed with which cracks have appeared in Madrid seem almost unprecedented in recent years. The reason is simple: Alonso arrived with full authority and a clear idea of who is in charge, while a group of players had grown used to Ancelotti’s “softer” approach and the great freedom off the pitch that suddenly hit a wall. In a dressing room long dominated by strong characters like Modrić, Kroos, Ramos, Benzema, or Casemiro, ego was always present, but there was also a perfect balance. Now, for the first time in a long while, Real has a young core and at the same time several very strong personalities fighting for hierarchy: Vinícius wants megastar status, Jude Bellingham wants control of the game, Rodrygo feels his role is shrinking, while Alonso insists that no one is above the collective idea.
Such a combination creates an explosive atmosphere. People inside the club admit that “tension of this kind among important players so soon after the start of a new era hasn’t been seen in years,” and comparisons are already being drawn to the situations in 2006 and 2013, when rifts between coaches and stars created invisible battle lines that led to generational changes. The difference now is that then, time worked in favor of the older players, while today Alonso is the one with institutional backing and the full support of the board. For this reason, this clash of egos seems the most dangerous of all — because it is not a conflict between departing veterans and a new coach, but between the projected pillars of Madrid’s future. And that is what causes the greatest concern within the club: the conflict is not temporary, not short-term, and does not involve players near the end of their careers. This is a battle for power within the generation that is supposed to define Real Madrid over the next five years.
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 5
Tuesday
20.45: (3.50) Ajax (3.65) Benfica (2.15)
20.45: (1.80) Galatasaray (4.10) St.Gilloise (4.40)
23.00: (3.30) Bodo (3.70) Juventus (2.20)
23.00: (2.25) Chelsea (4.00) Barcelona (3.00)
23.00: (1.90) Dortmund (3.80) Villareal (4.20)
23.00: (1.27) Man.City (7.00) Leverkusen (10.5)
23.00: (1.27) Napoli (6.25) Qarabag (9.50)
23.00: (3.00) Olympique Marseille (3.50) Newcastle (2.45)
23.00: (3.05) Slavia Praha (3.45) Ath.Bilbao (2.45)
Wednesday
20.45: (1.35) Copenhagen (5.50) Kairat Almaty (10.0)
20.45: (5.10) Paphos (3.70) Monaco (1.70)
23.00: (2.25) Arsenal (3.65) Bayern (3.20)
23.00: (2.35) Atl.Madrid (3.50) Inter (3.20)
23.00: (2.60) Eintr.Frankfurt (3.50) Atalanta (2.85)
23.00: (1.35) Liverpool (5.80) PSV (9.00)
23.00: (7.20) Olympiakos (5.20) Real Madrid (1.42)
23.00: (1.37) PSG (5.10) Tottenham (7.75)
23.00: (1.70) Sporting (4.30) Club Brugge (4.80)
***odds are subject to change***
