Xabi Alonso has wanted to say goodbye to the Real Madrid fans through social media. The Basque player, who reached an agreement with the club yesterday afternoon to terminate his contract, has posted a message on Instagram.
"This professional stage concludes, and it hasn't gone as we would have liked. Coaching Real Madrid has been an honor and a responsibility," Alonso begins a brief statement in which he did not mention Florentino Pérez, the club's president. What he did want to emphasize is the farewell to the Madrid fans: "I thank the club, the players, and especially the fans and the Madridismo for their trust and support. I leave with respect, gratitude, and the pride of having done my best."
The Real Madrid team's training has already been led this Tuesday by their replacement, Álvaro Arbeloa, on the eve of the Copa del Rey round of 16 against Albacete, from the second division.
In this first contact with the players, the new coach could not count on Kylian Mbappé.
The absence of the French striker, who tried to help his team win the Spanish Super Cup final lost on Sunday against Barça (3-2) by entering the game just eleven days after announcing an injury to his left knee, has been considered "logical" by the club, as team sources informed AFP.
Early in the morning, Arbeloa arrived at Ciudad Real Madrid on what was a special day, which began with a 30-minute delay to the scheduled time, at 11:30 a.m.
The reason was Arbeloa's presentation in the dressing room to the first-team players with a talk that led to the pre-activation in the gym before stepping onto the training field at the usual sports city training ground, EFE adds.
Alongside Arbeloa, with a very serious expression throughout watching his players' warm-up runs and initial drills, the morning's image was the return of Antonio Pintus in charge of the players' physical preparation.