Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa (right) during their time at Real Madrid, on a flight for the International Champions Cup summer tour to the US in 2014. Photo: Real Madrid

Alvaro Arbeloa and Xabi Alonso, longtime friends, are set to face each other as opposing managers in the Premier League. Their careers, both as players and coaches, have intertwined in a remarkable way. The upcoming London derby between Arbeloa's Fulham and Alonso's Chelsea marks the first time these two former teammates will stand on opposite sides of the touchline as head coaches.

Their journey together spans 262 matches across Liverpool, Real Madrid, and the Spanish national team. Last season, both experienced the demanding pressure cooker of the Santiago Bernabeu dugout. Alonso, initially expected to usher in a new era for "Los Blancos", lasted only until 1/2026. Arbeloa then took over, promoted from the youth squad, fully aware he was a temporary fix. This shared experience at Real Madrid now brings them back to England for a fresh start. Alonso was appointed Chelsea manager in May, two months before Arbeloa took charge at Fulham.

Tracing their paths, Arbeloa has often mirrored Alonso's journey over the years. Alonso, one year Arbeloa's senior, joined Liverpool in August 2004, with Arbeloa arriving at Anfield in January 2007. In summer 2009, they again followed each other, moving to Real Madrid within weeks. Alonso departed Real first for Bayern Munich in 2014. Arbeloa remained for two more years before playing his final professional season with West Ham, a year marked by injury struggles.

At the national level, they played side-by-side 38 times for Spain, achieving global dominance with Euro 2008 and 2012 titles, and the historic 2010 World Cup victory. Both retired from playing almost simultaneously, at the end of the 2016-2017 season. In summer 2018, Alonso began his coaching career at Real Madrid's youth academy with the under-13 team. two years later, Arbeloa joined "La Fabrica" (Real Madrid's academy) and took over the very same age group.

Xabi Alonso celebrates his first goal for Liverpool with teammate Alvaro Arbeloa (right) in 2007 at Anfield, Liverpool, England. Photo: Reuters

Alonso's coaching journey then extended beyond Madrid, leading Real Sociedad's B team before moving to Germany to manage Bayer Leverkusen. There, he made history by securing a Bundesliga and German Cup double in his first full season, 2023-2024, losing only one match all season – the Europa League final against Atalanta. Arbeloa, meanwhile, stayed in the Spanish capital, steadily progressing before taking charge of Castilla, Real Madrid's reserve team in the Spanish third division, in summer 2025. Just weeks later, Alonso was appointed head coach of Real Madrid's first team. During their six months working together at the Valdebebas training center, they frequently discussed promising young talents from the Castilla academy. Among the players directly coached by Arbeloa were forward Gonzalo Garcia and midfielder Cesar Palacios, both of whom joined Fulham this summer.

When pressure mounted on Alonso's position, Arbeloa remained silent. In December 2025, amidst media reports that President Florentino Perez was considering sacking Alonso, reporters asked Arbeloa at a press conference if he thought his former teammate was performing well. "Xabi is an outstanding coach", Arbeloa replied. "Any team experiences ups and downs in form. But if anyone thinks Real Madrid has collapsed, they are greatly mistaken, because they understand nothing about Real Madrid."

Before speculation that Perez would dismiss Alonso and replace him with Arbeloa, Alonso was asked if he considered his friend a potential successor. "In the future, that is entirely possible", Alonso answered. "He is doing very well. Today, we mainly talked about Castilla players joining the first team tomorrow, nothing else."

Xabi Alonso at a Real Madrid press conference before the Spanish Super Cup final at King Abdullah Sport City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on 10/1/2026. Photo: Reuters

This mutual respect was evident, but the moment eventually arrived. one day after a narrow loss to rival Barca in the Spanish Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia on 11/1, Perez decided to remove Alonso. At his introductory press conference as Real Madrid's new head coach, Arbeloa was visibly emotional when speaking about his predecessor. "Everyone knows our relationship, how much I value and appreciate Xabi", Arbeloa stated. "That feeling is mutual and will never change. He wished me the best, and I would do the same if our positions were reversed. Our friendship transcends everything. Just yesterday we spoke at length, and I wished Xabi success because he is a great coach. I am sure he will achieve great things in the future. We will always be as close as we have been for all these years."

During Jose Mourinho's first tenure at Real Madrid from 2010 to 2013, both Arbeloa and Alonso faced criticism for their aggressive tackles on Lionel Messi and other Barca stars. In the eyes of the Portuguese coach at the time, El Clasico matches were battles, and playing without elegance was the way to break the rival's dominance. Alonso, being more introverted, always maintained a diplomatic stance with the media. Arbeloa, in contrast, enjoyed publicly defending Real Madrid, proudly embracing the nickname "Spartan warrior" and cultivating an image as a loyal confidant of President Perez. However, these fiery on-field clashes with national teammates from Barca eventually led to Vicente del Bosque omitting Arbeloa from the 2014 World Cup campaign.

Alvaro Arbeloa at a Real Madrid press conference before the Copa del Rey round of 16 at the Valdebebas training center, Madrid, Spain on 13/1/2026. Photo: Reuters

When Arbeloa announced his retirement from the national team on Twitter in May that year, Alonso commented: "Hey 'Trufa', we will miss you so much. If we embroider another championship star, I will roar your weird Spartan cry." The nickname "trufa" (meaning "truffle" but also a slang term for a bad shot or pass in Spanish) originated from their Liverpool days. Alonso jokingly gave him this nickname after Arbeloa made a poor pass during a training session.

Off the field, Arbeloa and Alonso are like brothers. In September 2015, their families vacationed together on the picturesque island of Capri. two years later, they participated side-by-side in the 20 km Behobia-San Sebastian cycling race. However, their brief time managing Real Madrid's first team last season revealed two contrasting management styles. Alonso approached with absolute rationality. He provided detailed methodological instructions and maintained a certain distance from his players, including star veterans. His perfectionism and desire to control every aspect unintentionally created resistance within a team unaccustomed to this style.

Xabi Alonso during his introductory photoshoot as Chelsea head coach at Stamford Bridge, London, England on 13/7/2026. Photo: Reuters

Arbeloa, conversely, adopted a completely different approach. He frequently "massaged" the egos of star players in the media and granted them more creative freedom on the field. Arbeloa also demonstrated shrewdness and deference to the club's hierarchy, for example, by bringing back veteran fitness coach Antonio Pintus, highly regarded by President Perez, to the coaching staff. The former full-back was also more eager than Alonso to align with the club's directives to criticize referees whenever Real Madrid faced disadvantages.

This sharp personality was evident during Arbeloa's time as a youth coach at Real Madrid, including several touchline clashes with Fernando Torres – another former teammate from Spain and Liverpool, who had begun his coaching career at Atletico Madrid's youth team. Arbeloa's somewhat fiery temperament has also started to surface at Fulham. In a 2-2 friendly draw against Malaga on 12/8, he received a direct red card for fiercely protesting a penalty decision that led to the opponent's equalizer. Fulham players then followed their new head coach into the changing room, abandoning the penalty shootout that Malaga claimed had been pre-agreed.

Meanwhile, Alonso continues to display a calm and reserved demeanor in his initial weeks managing Chelsea. He admitted carrying a "scar" from his bitter experience in the Real Madrid dugout but emphasized that the wound "has healed."

Alvaro Arbeloa during a Fulham training session at Motspur Park training center, Surrey, England on 28/7/2026. Photo: Fulham

On 10/7, when Alonso posted a photo on Instagram marking his return to coaching at Chelsea's Cobham training center, Arbeloa – who had already been in the Fulham hot seat for three days – quickly left a message of four rocket emojis. In some ways, they remain close friends, interacting frequently off the pitch, a bond forged over more than two decades and countless trials in Madrid. However, after the inevitable emotional handshake and hug on the Craven Cottage touchline before kickoff, it will be a historic confrontation for both.

Compiled by Hoang Thong