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Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has ruled out a move to Real Madrid after the club parted ways with Xabi Alonso, insisting that the Spaniard’s departure “has nothing to do with me.”
Klopp, 58, has been out of management since leaving Liverpool in the summer of 2024, citing the need to recharge after “running out of energy.” He is currently serving as Red Bull’s global head of football.
Speaking to Austrian channel Servus TV, Klopp addressed speculation linking him to Real Madrid following Alonso’s exit:
“I think the rumors have been circulating for some time now. And I know exactly what your question is getting at, but it has nothing to do with me. My phone did actually ring, but not from Madrid. There were, however, a few people who felt they needed to bring it up with me.”
Reflecting on Alonso’s brief tenure, Klopp noted: “In general, it’s a sign that not everything there is 100 per cent right when Xabi Alonso, who showed over two years in Leverkusen what an outstanding coaching talent he is, has to leave Real Madrid just half a year later. When you come in after a legend and an incredibly successful coach like Carlo Ancelotti, who had a very specific way of managing his teams, and then try to introduce new rules, that has now proven to be too difficult. I really feel sorry for him because I consider him a great coach.”
Klopp emphasized that he is content in his current role, adding: “It has nothing to do with me and didn’t trigger anything in me either. The coaching market is being reshuffled, and it’s not a bad thing to experience all of this from an observer’s perspective and not think about what it means for yourself, because you’re in the right place where you are.”
Real Madrid confirmed on Monday that Alonso had mutually agreed to step down after less than eight months in charge. Alvaro Arbeloa, who managed Real Madrid B in the first half of the 2025/26 season, has been named as his successor.
