Despite expressing his commitment to the club and stating that he will never voluntarily step down as head coach of Real Madrid, elite Italian manager Carlo Ancelotti's future at the Bernabeu remains in doubt.
Despite leading La Liga by a single point ahead of local rivals Atletico Madrid, it is in the Champions League where Los Blancos have struggled at times during the current campaign. Madrid managed to squeeze into the top 24 with five wins from eight games, but with the acquisition of star player Kylian Mbappe this summer, the club had been expected to hit another level this season.
However, defeats to Liverpool, Lille and Serie A strugglers AC Milan demonstrated that all is not as perfect as it may seem in the Spanish capital, with a 4-0 home defeat to Barcelona also compounding the uncertainty surrounding Ancelotti's management at present.
Despite finding the net 15 times in 20 La Liga matches, Mbappe's personal form has come undone in Europe too, where he has scored just three goals across all eight fixtures. This is symbolic of the troubles faced by the club in the Champions League as a whole.
With Madrid having qualified for the next stage, tension has eased regarding Ancelotti's role at the club, but this does not mean that multiple managers are not being lined up to replace him if need be.
Current favourites as next Real Madrid manager
Xabi Alonso
Priced at 4/11, former Liverpool and Real Madrid central midfielder Xabi Alonso is leading the race to take the helm at the Bernabeu. The Spaniard made 158 appearances for Los Blancos between 2009 and 2014, winning one La Liga and one Champions League in the process. As he has also since led Bayer Leverkusen to their first Bundesliga title, which included a 53-game unbeaten streak, Alonso has succeeded in different capacities in football.
Since taking charge at Leverkusen in October 2022, the 43-year-old has averaged a staggering 2.22 points per game, winning 81 of his 121 matches in charge, losing on a mere 14 occasions. However, Die Werkself have been unable to repeat their success of last season, as they sit nine points behind Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich.
Overall, though, Alonso has proven his capabilities as a manager, and, having starred for the club himself, would be well-placed to take over from Ancelotti should the time come. However, at 4/11, bookies are pretty convinced on this decision, and so he does not provide the best return on investment for punters.
Raul
A former Galactico, Raul has been priced at a 12/1 outside chance to take over at the Bernabeu and return to the club with which he made 550 league appearances. The longevity of Raul's career is not to be understated, as it spanned across 21 years, during which he scored 291 league goals, 228 of which were with Real Madrid. Essentially, you would be hard-pushed to find another player as committed to this club as Raul.
For the past six years, the legendary Spanish forward has been managing Real Madrid's B-team, taking charge of 193 games from which he has presided over 77 victories. He has currently averaged 1.51 points per game with the side.
However, the former player is yet to get a taste of top-level professional management, and so the step up to being a first-team coach could be quite a jump for Raul. Although it is not something to count out yet, Alonso seems in a much better position to take over in terms of experience. At 12/1, though, betting on a dark horse like Raul could provide a healthy return for punters.
Zinedine Zidane
Incredibly, former Madrid manager and player Zinedine Zidane has been given 14/1 odds to return to the club. Having already won two La Liga titles and three Champions Leagues with the side, it could be argued that he has already won everything there is to win as a manager.
An incredible two-year tenure in which he averaged 2.04 points per game, winning 69 of 114 fixtures, Los Blancos supporters would most likely be overjoyed to see the Frenchman return to the club.
However, having departed less than four years ago and priced as a clear outsider, there seems to be little evidence to suggest Zidane will return to the Bernabeu. Never say never, but in the current market, this move seems rather unlikely.
Lifelong Ipswich Town supporter who recently graduated from Durham University in French and German. Have developed a passion for European football based on my links abroad and am an avid supporter of Werder Bremen and Auxerre. Joined the MFT team in October 2024 and looking to take my first steps into the world of football journalism.
