Dietmar Hamann stands by Xabi Alonso after Real Madrid departure: I think it was premature

The Spanish coach parted ways with Los Blancos after just seven months following the Supercopa de España defeat

Former Xabi Alonso teammate Dietmar Hamann has expressed his surprise about the Spanish coach’s departure from Real Madrid. Alonso parted ways with Los Blancos just seven months after succeeding Carlo Ancelloti.

He left Real Madrid following a 3-2 loss in the Supercopa de España final against Barcelona on Sunday. Alonso played alongside Hamann at a Liverpool side that went all the way to Champions League glory back in 2005.

Two decades later, Hamann praised the Spaniard’s coaching skills, stressing that he didn’t expect him to depart Real Madrid midway through the season.

“Obviously, I’m very surprised because he had two fantastic years at Leverkusen,” he told MARCA.

“He won the league and finished undefeated, something that had never happened before, not even Bayern Munich had achieved it. It seemed like a perfect combination when Carlo Ancelotti left.

“If you had told me in the summer that Alonso wouldn’t be the coach in mid-January, I would have said not in a million years.

“However, if we go back six months, there was talk of unrest in the dressing room. There was talk of a Champions League “final” against Manchester City before Christmas, which they ended up losing.

“They are only four points behind in the league, so the balance is fine, but the games they lost were against Liverpool and Manchester City. The defeat against Barcelona is something you never like to see in Madrid, but I think it was premature. I would have liked the Madrid board to stand firm and give him time for the Champions League in February and March.”

🥊 Gerard Piqué has reignited his personal rivalry with new Real Madrid head coach Álvaro Arbeloa.

😄 After Los Blancos’ shock Copa del Rey exit to Albacete, the former Barcelona defender wrote a cheeky post aimed at his former Spain teammate.

“Good debut,” Piqué wrote. pic.twitter.com/LNskSn6urU

— BB Sport News (@BBSportNews24) January 15, 2026

The difference with his tenure at Leverkusen

Hamann went on to explain why the situation at Real Madrid differed from what Alonso experienced during his successful stint at Bayer Leverkusen.

“If he had reached a position where he had more power, he would probably have wanted to get rid of two or three players to build a team, but Madrid is based on big personalities who somehow find a way to win. That’s not what he did at Leverkusen,” he added.

“There, he formed a team with exceptional players, but none of them claimed special status, none of them let their egos get in the way. They all worked toward the same goal: winning the next game. Just like back then at Liverpool.”

At Leverkusen, the Spanish tactician won a domestic double in 2013/14, when his team also reached the Europa League final, where they lost 3-0 to Atalanta.