Karim Benzema has cemented his legacy as one of the most significant players in Real Madrid‘s storied history, distinguishing himself as one of the club’s all-time leading scorers and a Ballon d’Or winner. Since his departure in 2023, the Frenchman has maintained a strong connection to the team, even making an appearance at the Spanish Super Cup. He reportedly engaged in a conversation with president Florentino Perez, offering two pieces of advice to the team.
According to Ramon Alvarez de Mon on X, formerly Twitter, Karim Benzema and the president of Real Madrid had an interesting conversation during the Spanish Super Cup final. There, the Frenchman gave the president two pieces of advice: Trust Xabi Alonso as the team’s long-term head coach and sign a midfielder to strengthen the team’s creativity and organization.
After Xabi Alonso failing to lead Real Madrid to victory in the Spanish Super Cup, the coach and the front office have decided to part ways. While Diario As reported that the team executives had expected to keep the Spaniard on the team, the coach himself expressed his desire to leave the team, reports media outlets. In that sense, Álvaro Arbeloa has been named as new head coach of the team.
Far from securing a key arrival in the midfield in the next weeks, Real Madrid have reportedly decided not to secure any new signing in January of 2026. Nonetheless, the front office is decided to push for key arrivals in the summer of 2026 as the roster needs a creative midfield, reports Jose Felix Diaz. In that sense, Nico Paz’s comeback still holds as a strong option due to his impact at Como in Serie A.
Xabi Alonso, Head Coach of Real Madrid talks with his players.
Arbeloa now holds a heavy task at Real Madrid’s midfield
Over the last few years, Real Madrid have managed to accumulate numerous stars in midfield as Federico Valverde, Jude Bellingham, Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga, and Arda Guler. However, none of them have managed to shine as key organizers, making the team feel the absence of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric. For this reason, new coach Álvaro Arbeloa has the difficult task of finding a solution within the roster, as no new players are expected to arrive in the next weeks.
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Xabi Alonso has officially been fired as Real Madrid coach: Who will take the head coach spot in the Spanish side?
While Bellingham was expected to emerge as the next leader of the midfield, he has not been able to transform into a tempo as Pedri at Barcelona. The English man emerges as a key box-to-box midfielder with Federico Valverde. Moreover, neither Camavinga nor Guler shine as organizers, prompting Rodrygo to play that role in the attacking line. Nonetheless, the potential arrival of a star in the summer of 2026 could lead to a departure of one of the stars.
