Real Madrid legend Luis Figo has offered his support to the club’s new manager, ahead of his manager Alvaro Arbeloa’s first match against Levante at the Bernabéu on Saturday.
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Real Madrid legend Luis Figo requested assistance the club’s new head coach Alvaro Arbeloa He is set to take charge of his first match against Levante at the Bernabéu on Saturday.
After Madrid lost in the Spanish Super Cup final to the Portuguese’s former club FC Barcelona, Xabi Alonso was sacked as manager and replaced by Arbeloa as the former defender was promoted from Castilla’s reserves.
This came as a shock to many, despite the pressure on Alonso after a string of losses and draws to end 2025.
Five consecutive wins, with Barça trailing by four points, seemed to have steady the ship, but squandering a five-point lead after El Clasico and losing the Super Cup to their eternal foes proved a bridge too far for president Florentino Perez, who showed Alonso the exit door at the Bernabéu at the turn of the week.
However, Figo said: “I wasn’t surprised given what has been reported lately,” but personally he did not expect the manager to be replaced now “midway through the season, and even after losing in the Super Cup”.
“The sacking is bad for everyone,” added the Ballon d’Or winner, but the situation was no different in his time.
“We changed coaches multiple times in one season. It was a different world,” he recalls.
Figo is referring to the 2003/2004 season, when, after the departure of Vicente del Bosque, the team had at least three different managers: José Antonio Camacho, García Lemón and Vanderlei Luxembourg.
Figo hinted that Real Madrid and their fans need to support Arbeloa
“Arbeloa is a commitment from the board and we must support him throughout the rest of the season,” Figo stressed, amid the turmoil following 16 defeats to FC Barcelona and second-tier Albacete in the Spanish Super Cup and Copa del Rey finals respectively.
“The priority is to get back to normalcy, in everything. There is still a long season left after the departure of the manager, so stability in every sense is important.
“Madrid has two very important competitions that they can win. But we have to improve in all aspects,” he concluded.
Real Madrid next play on Saturday, when Arbeloa face relegation-threatened Levante at home in La Liga, with Arbeloa expected to receive a frosty reception.