Real Madrid announces the departure of Álvaro Arbeloa.

In a predictable move after Álvaro Arbeloa announced last month the end of the relationship between the two parties, Real Madrid officially confirmed on Tuesday the departure of the coach who had been in charge of the team since January after the departure of Xabi Alonso.

The royal club stated in a statement: “Real Madrid and Álvaro Arbeloa have reached an agreement to end his role as head coach of the first team,” adding: “Real Madrid expresses its deep gratitude to Álvaro Arbeloa, who has shown loyalty, commitment, and professionalism throughout his career at the club since joining its academy,” and wished “Álvaro Arbeloa and his entire family all the best in this new phase of their lives.”

On May 22, Arbeloa confirmed that he would leave his position as coach of Real at the end of a disappointing season in which the royal club failed to win any titles.

In response to a question about the rumors regarding his non-continuation with Real next season amid reports of the return of veteran Portuguese coach José Mourinho to the capital club, Arbeloa replied: “Yes,” adding before the final stage of the domestic league: “I hope it is just a temporary farewell. Real Madrid has been my home for twenty years, in different positions.”

Arbeloa was promoted from the reserve team to the first team after the dismissal of Xabi Alonso in early January, but the trajectory was disappointing as the royal club ended the season empty-handed both domestically and internationally; his short stint as interim coach saw Real exit the Round of 16 of the Copa del Rey against Albacete (second division), in addition to several painful defeats in the league against Getafe, Osasuna, and Mallorca, which ended Real's hopes of competing with Barcelona for the title.

The coach's path was slightly better in the Champions League, where Real exited the competition with difficulty in the quarter-finals against Bayern Munich, after eliminating Manchester City and Benfica in the previous rounds.

When asked about the possibility of assisting his former coach José Mourinho, who is expected to succeed him at the helm after 13 years since his first term at Real, the 43-year-old felt that the Portuguese coach does not need him, adding: “He has a very good coaching staff, and he is surrounded by reliable people. If he returns to Madrid, he will come back with his close team. I don’t think there is a place for me.”

Mourinho's return to "Santiago Bernabéu" is just a matter of time after Florentino Pérez was re-elected as head of the club on Sunday for a new term extending until 2030.

Pérez promised that if re-elected, he would bring in the Portuguese coach, in addition to strengthening the team with new players, the first of whom was Frenchman Ibrahima Konaté, whose signing to the royal club as a free agent was confirmed, according to what the French Press Agency learned on Monday from a source familiar with the negotiations.