Real Madrid typically achieves its goals, whether it’s acquiring top-tier talent or clinching prestigious titles. However, with their lackluster season potentially reaching a disastrous conclusion facing Bayern Munich in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals this week, it could ignite another search for a manager that may not satisfy anyone at the world’s most prestigious club.
Currently, Madrid trails LaLiga leaders Barcelona by nine points and suffered an early exit from the Copa del Rey, losing to second-division Albacete in the round of 16. If they fail to overcome a 2-1 deficit against Bayern on Wednesday, it will mark a second consecutive season devoid of a major trophy, leaving Alvaro Arbeloa, who took over from Xabi Alonso in January, likely without a role beyond the summer.
Finding a new manager who meets Madrid’s stringent requirements—an A-list coach with a record of success, someone who commands respect from a demanding locker room and fanbase, and who can deliver immediate results—will be more challenging than ever for president Florentino Perez.
Traditionally, Perez could rely on familiar choices during such crises, like Carlo Ancelotti and Zinedine Zidane, but both are unavailable, with Ancelotti likely set to renew his contract with Brazil and Zidane recognized as the frontrunner to replace Didier Deschamps as France’s manager.
During their tenures, Ancelotti secured three Champions League titles and two LaLiga trophies as Madrid’s coach, while Zidane matched that success over separate periods. They both had the charisma to command respect within a high-profile squad—something Alonso struggled with in his brief six-month stint.
Alonso came to the Madrid job with legendary credentials as both a Champions League and LaLiga champion as a player, and he enhanced his reputation at Bayer Leverkusen, where he ended Bayern’s decade-long dominance by winning the Bundesliga without a loss. However, that meant little once Madrid’s star players decided he was not the right fit.
While Madrid believed they were acquiring football’s next great young coach, Perez misjudged the locker room dynamics, complicating the search for the next manager.
The club urgently needs a winner, yet someone who can sidestep the issues that plagued Alonso. So where should they look? The available options for Perez are less than impressive.
No emerging star boasts a comparable track record to Alonso, and the top coaches—such as Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola and Paris Saint-Germain’s Luis Enrique, who might clinch a second consecutive Champions League title this season—would be nearly impossible to attract to Madrid, not just due to their history with Barcelona.
Thomas Tuchel, a former Champions League winner with Chelsea, could have been a viable choice, but he has recently committed to a new contract with England.
The leading candidates in the bookmaker’s odds for the next permanent Madrid manager highlight the limited options available.
Arbeloa is currently the frontrunner, but after five losses in 19 games, it is exceedingly unlikely he will remain past this season.
Former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp follows as a second favorite. Given his current role overseeing global soccer for the Red Bull Group, he would be an intriguing hire. He meets all the criteria, including experience and charisma, but he labeled recent Madrid rumors as “nonsense” and downplayed his interest in coaching at the club.
Next on the list are AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri and U.S. men’s national team coach Mauricio Pochettino.
Allegri, at 58, is a respected tactician who has claimed league titles with Milan and Juventus, but his lack of a European trophy and last league title winning with Juventus in 2019, makes his current cache less appealing.
Similarly, Pochettino, whose only domestic title to his name was the 2021-22 Ligue 1 victory with PSG, has not bolstered his standing during a turbulent two years with the U.S. national team, marked by a difficult record of nine losses in 24 games.
Other names in contention include Benfica‘s Jose Mourinho, Germany‘s Julian Nagelsmann, and Bournemouth‘s Andoni Iraola, along with former Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca (currently unemployed) and Aston Villa‘s Unai Emery. Each, however, comes with more drawbacks than advantages.
Madrid’s limited managerial options have been largely self-inflicted. They parted ways with Ancelotti a year ago after a season without trophies and replaced Alonso without adequately supporting him, all to protect the fragile egos of certain players.
Having dismissed the ideal coach in Ancelotti and failing to respond to the needs of his successor, Madrid now faces a dire pool of candidates. Unless they can pull off an extraordinary move by securing the hire of Luis Enrique or Klopp, they are unlikely to achieve their summer objectives.