MADRID (AP) — Real Madrid stayed quiet about its next coach on Monday after Brazil announced Carlo Ancelotti was taking over the five-time world champion.
Madrid hadn’t released any reaction or statement about its coach since 2021 late into the evening in the Spanish capital. There were no farewell or congratulatory messages for Ancelotti either.
Ancelotti was contracted to Madrid through next season but Brazil said he takes over as soon as La Liga finishes in about two weeks.
There was no news from Madrid about Ancelotti’s replacement, with three games left in La Liga and the Club World Cup coming next month.
Former Madrid player Xabi Alonso, who recently said he was leaving Bayer Leverkusen, was widely expected to be hired as the new coach but there were no hints on when Madrid would make any announcement.
Madrid hosts Mallorca on Wednesday in a Liga match it needs to win to keep Barcelona from clinching the title in advance. It has two more Liga matches after that, then it will head to the Club World Cup in June.
Madrid wouldn’t announce whether it will appoint a caretaker for the upcoming matches, or if Alonso would arrive immediately.
On Tuesday, Ancelotti was expected to have his routine pre-game news conference ahead of the Mallorca match. Madrid did not announce any changes to the news conference.
Brazil announced it finally reached a deal with Ancelotti a day after Madrid lost at Barcelona 4-3 in the final clasico of the season. The loss left Madrid seven points behind Barcelona, virtually out of title contention.
Many Madrid fans blame Ancelotti for a relatively poor season, saying he lost control over the squad. Madrid began the season by winning the UEFA Super Cup but has mostly struggled since then and failed to lift another trophy, losing the finals of the Spanish Super Cup and Copa del Rey to Barcelona.
The 65-year-old Ancelotti is in his second stint with Madrid and coached the club in 350 matches. He’s helped it win three Champions Leagues, three Club World Cups, two Spanish leagues, two Copa del Reys, three UEFA Super Cups and two Spanish Super Cups.
The 43-year-old Alonso played for Madrid from 2009-14. He led Bayer Leverkusen to an unprecedented German league and cup double last year in his first full season after taking over the team when it was in the Bundesliga relegation zone the season before.
His team remains the only one to complete a whole Bundesliga campaign unbeaten. Leverkusen’s only defeat in 2023-24 was to Atalanta in the Europa League final, and it bounced back three days later by winning the 2024 German Cup.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
