Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has revealed that he was approached about the Real Madrid job following Xabi Alonso’s departure—but not by the club itself.
Real Madrid confirmed on Monday that Alonso had left by mutual consent after just 232 days in charge, a move that came as a shock to many. The Athletic had reported only hours earlier that Alonso was secure in his role. His final match at the helm was Sunday’s 3-2 Supercopa de España defeat to Barcelona.
Questions had surrounded Alonso’s tactics and decision-making in high-profile games, with Real losing to Liverpool, Manchester City, and Atletico Madrid this season. Currently, Los Blancos sit second in La Liga, four points behind Barcelona after 19 games.
According to BBC Sport, Alonso reportedly clashed with striker Kylian Mbappé over tactics before the Barcelona game and had a separate disagreement with club president Florentino Pérez on Monday, suggesting his exit was abrupt. Rather than naming an interim manager, Real promoted former Liverpool defender Álvaro Arbeloa from his role leading Real Castilla.
Since 2013, all Real managers except Carlo Ancelotti have either played for or previously coached at the club. During his time at Liverpool, Klopp was occasionally linked with a move to the Bernabéu whenever the managerial post became vacant.
Klopp, who has not managed since leaving Anfield in the summer of 2024, is currently the head of global football at Red Bull. Speaking to German broadcaster Servus TV, he was asked whether he had been contacted following Alonso’s sacking.
He confirmed he had received outreach from “a few people” directly, though clarified that Real Madrid themselves had not officially reached out.
“It actually has [started ringing]—though not from Madrid,” Klopp said. “But yes, there were definitely a few people who felt they had to contact me directly about it. First of all, I think it’s another sign that something isn’t quite right there at the moment. If Xabi Alonso, who’s shown over the past two years in Leverkusen what an outstanding coaching talent he is, is forced to leave Madrid just six months later, it says a lot.
“On one hand, it shows there’s very little time for managers nowadays. On the other, it reflects the enormous expectations at Real Madrid. This has nothing to do with me and didn’t trigger anything for me either, which would probably have been the follow-up question. I was genuinely surprised. Then a few people messaged me, and I replied with some emails
