Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has ruled out any possibility of taking over at Real Madrid following the club’s decision to part ways with head coach Xabi Alonso.
Speaking to Austrian broadcaster Servus TV, the 58-year-old German insisted that Alonso’s exit had “nothing to do” with him, despite widespread speculation linking Klopp to the vacant role.
Klopp has been out of club management since leaving Liverpool at the end of the 2023/24 season, explaining at the time that he needed a break from coaching as he was “running out of energy.” He currently serves as Red Bull’s global head of football.
Addressing rumours that he had been contacted by Real Madrid, Klopp said:
“I think the rumours have been circulating for some time now. And I know exactly what your question is getting at, but it has nothing to do with me.
“My phone did actually ring, but not from Madrid. There were, however, a few people who felt they needed to bring it up with me.”
Klopp also expressed sympathy for Alonso, describing the Spaniard as an exceptional coach who was placed in a difficult situation.
“In general, it’s a sign that not everything there is 100 per cent right when Xabi Alonso, who showed over two years in Leverkusen what an outstanding coaching talent he is, has to leave Real Madrid just half a year later,” Klopp said.
He added that replacing a figure like Carlo Ancelotti was always going to be a major challenge.
“When you come in after a legend and an incredibly successful coach like Ancelotti, who had a very specific way of managing his teams, and then try to introduce new rules, it can become too difficult. I really feel sorry for him, because I consider him a great coach.”
Klopp stressed that he remains content in his current role and has no desire to return to the dugout for now.
“It has nothing to do with me and didn’t trigger anything in me either,” he said.
“The coaching market is being reshuffled, and it’s not a bad thing to experience all of this as an observer and know you’re in the right place.”
Real Madrid confirmed on Monday that Xabi Alonso mutually agreed to step down after less than eight months in charge. Former club captain Álvaro Arbeloa, who had been managing Real Madrid B during the first half of the 2025/26 season, has been appointed as his replacement.
