One Real Madrid Player Reportedly Preferred Xabi Alonso to Alvaro Arbeloa

Madrid, Spain – Real Madrid’s 2026 campaign has already delivered more plot twists than a title race, and the latest revelation from the capital suggests the dressing-room divide that preceded Xabi Alonso’s January exit may not have been unanimous. According to Cadena Cope, at least one high-profile player would rather still be playing under the deposed coach than under current boss Alvaro Arbeloa.

Alonso’s reign lasted only seven months, ended after a bruising Copa del Rey elimination to Segunda División side Albacete and a final-matchday slide into the Champions League playoff bracket. Club sources initially framed the decision as football’s cold arithmetic: results dictate survival. Yet whispers of player unrest circulated well before the parting, and the radio network now reports that Kylian Mbappe’s personal rapport with Alonso was significantly warmer than the relationship he currently enjoys with Arbeloa.

The French forward’s on-field output has scarcely dipped—he remains “red hot” in front of goal—but sources close to the squad say the preference is rooted in day-to-day chemistry rather than tactics or statistics. Real Madrid have not commented on the claim, and Cadena Cope itself concedes the Mbappe angle “may not be true,” but it fuels suspicion that Alonso’s exit was not simply a matter of points on the board.

A second, potentially more concrete, flashpoint involves club captain Dani Carvajal. The 34-year-old right-back, in the final five months of his deal, returned from injury at the turn of the year but has seen only 30 minutes of competitive action across two substitute appearances. When David Jimenez was chosen to start the Valencia fixture ahead of Carvajal—Trent Alexander-Arnold making his comeback cameo off the bench—cameras captured the skipper in animated conversation with fitness coach Antonio Pintus, body language that supporters interpreted as frustration.

Carvajal’s camp has not publicly agitated for an exit, yet the dwindling role has intensified speculation that the academy graduate could leave the Bernabeu this summer on a free transfer. Arbeloa, himself a former Madrid full-back, now faces the delicate balancing act of managing a legend’s farewell while maintaining the defensive standards that have underpinned four straight La Liga victories since he took over.

Those league wins have steadied the ship, but the cup upset and European playoff predicament leave little margin for error. Coaches know the equation: fail to collect trophies and the next dismissal letter can arrive as swiftly as the last. Alonso discovered that reality in January; Arbeloa, aware that not every senior voice in the locker room is convinced by his methods, must now prove the change was justified.

Whether the reported unease festers or fades could hinge on the next run of fixtures, beginning with a mid-week Champions League playoff first leg that could define the club’s season—and perhaps the manager’s own honeymoon period in the hottest of hot seats.