The sudden dismissal of Xabi Alonso as manager of Real Madrid has sent shockwaves through world football, sparking intense debate about player power, institutional loyalty, and the direction of one of the sport’s most storied clubs.
Among the most passionate voices raised in critique is that of Khabib Nurmagomedov, the legendary undefeated UFC champion, who has leveled a scathing charge against the Real Madrid dressing room, branding its stars “spoiled brats” for their perceived role in the coach’s downfall.
According to multiple reports, the decision to part ways with Alonso, a club legend as a player, came less than 24 hours after a 3-2 defeat to arch-rival Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final. The 44-year-old coach, who had arrived just eight months prior from a historic, unbeaten title-winning season with Bayer Leverkusen, left the club with the team sitting second in La Liga, only four points behind the leaders.
Club statements framed the departure as “by mutual agreement,” a characterization met with widespread scepticism in the face of what insiders describe as irreparable fractures between the coach and key players.
For Khabib, a lifelong and vocal Real Madrid supporter, the episode represents a profound failure of discipline and respect. Taking to his official Instagram account, the combat sports icon did not mince words. “If you come into a gym or onto the pitch, it doesn’t matter whether you’re a fighter or a footballer â the head coach is in charge,” Khabib wrote.
He placed the blame squarely on the squad’s attitude, arguing that the environment became unmanageable. “I believe Alonso is among the top 3 coaches in the modern game. If a team doesn’t work with him, you need to change the players, not the coach,” he stated.
In a subsequent, even more pointed post, he lamented the club’s shifting stance: “There is nothing like loyalty. 1 year ago they begged him. Now they fired him because of spoiled kids. Xabi, you are the best”.
Khabib’s perspective is deeply informed by the authoritarian coaching philosophy that guided his own perfect 29-0 career and now defines his post-retirement gym. In a recent interview, he explained, “When we come to the gym⊠There is no freedom of speech. Everybody does what I say”. This uncompromising belief in hierarchical discipline frames his view of the reported insubordination at Real Madrid.
Sources indicate the breaking point occurred when Alonso instructed his players to form a guard of honour for Barcelona after the Super Cup final, a directive star forward Kylian Mbappé openly ignored by walking off the pitch, with the rest of the team following him.
The rift was not isolated. Alonso’s tenure was marked by a particularly strained and public relationship with Brazilian winger VinĂcius JĂșnior.
Tensions flared as early as October, when VinĂcius reacted furiously to being substituted during a match, storming down the tunnel without acknowledging his coach. While the player later issued a public apology that notably omitted any mention of Alonso, Spanish press reports suggest the relationship had deteriorated to the point where contract renewal talks for VinĂcius were put on hold while the manager remained.
Further reports from outlets like The Athletic suggest disagreements extended to other key figures in the squad, including Jude Bellingham and Federico Valverde, over tactical approaches and management style.
The swift sacking left the players themselves stunned. Insiders reported that the squad had “no idea” the dismissal was coming and were “absolutely stunned” when the announcement was made within minutes of their return to Madrid. This immediate replacement with reserve team coach Ălvaro Arbeloa only added to the sense of a club in reactive crisis mode.
Khabib’s fiery condemnation places him in a broader chorus of criticism questioning the culture at the Santiago BernabĂ©u. Legendary former Liverpool manager JĂŒrgen Klopp, himself linked to the vacancy, offered a more measured but equally pointed assessment. “If Xabi Alonso⊠is then forced to leave Madrid just six months later, it shows a few things,” Klopp said. “It shows that nowadays thereâs no time anymore⊠I think itâs another sign that something isnât quite right there at the moment”.
From a tactical standpoint, analysts note that Alonso, a meticulous “project manager,” was attempting to implement a complex, system-oriented style at a club where immediate results are non-negotiable and individual stardom has long been paramount.
Despite promising underlying metrics, including the best expected goal difference in La Liga, the perceived lack of compactness and the struggles to integrate all his star forwards into a cohesive unit created a narrative of dysfunction that proved fatal.