Former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp has revealed that he was contacted about the Real Madrid job after Xabi Alonso’s departure—but not by the club itself.
Real Madrid announced on Monday that Alonso had mutually agreed to leave the club after just 232 days in charge, a decision that surprised many. Reports from The Athletic had suggested hours earlier that Alonso’s position was secure. His final match was Real’s 3-2 Supercopa de España final loss to Barcelona on Sunday.
Alonso’s tactics and decisions in key games had come under scrutiny, with defeats this season to Liverpool, Manchester City, and Atletico Madrid. Real currently sit second in La Liga, four points behind Barcelona after 19 matches.
BBC Sport reported that Alonso had a tactical dispute with Kylian Mbappé before the Barcelona match and a separate disagreement with club president Florentino Pérez on Monday, suggesting his exit came quickly. Rather than appoint an interim manager, Real promoted former Liverpool defender Álvaro Arbeloa from his role managing Real Castilla.
Since 2013, aside from Carlo Ancelotti, every Real Madrid manager has either played for or previously coached at the club. During his time at Liverpool, Klopp was often linked with a potential move to the Bernabéu whenever a vacancy arose.
Klopp, who left Liverpool in summer 2024 and now serves as head of global football at Red Bull, spoke about the situation on German TV channel Servus TV. When asked if he had been approached after Alonso’s exit, he confirmed that while Real had not officially contacted him, a few individuals had reached out directly.
He said: “It actually has [started ringing]—though not from Madrid. But yes, a few people felt they needed to contact me directly.”
Reflecting on Alonso’s brief tenure, Klopp added that it showed both the high expectations at Real Madrid and the lack of patience in modern football: “If someone like Xabi Alonso, who has proven to be an outstanding coach at Leverkusen, is forced to leave Madrid after just six months, it tells you a lot. It’s not about me, and it didn’t trigger anything for me. I was genuinely surprised, and then a few people messaged me, to which I replied.”
