Next Real Madrid manager: Ranking their 10 options from best to worst, ft. Xabi Alonso and Zidane | OneFootball

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It's well understood that current manager Carlo Ancelotti will likely leave Real Madrid this summer when his contract expires. The 64-year-old is in his second spell with the club and, having won La Liga, Copa del Rey, the Champions League, and numerous other trophies in Spain, he will be a hard act to follow.

Indeed, if the Italian is to depart at the end of the season his replacement will have to be more than ready to perform immediately. Just this week two young and exciting managers in the form of Roberto De Zerbi and Xabi Alonso have emerged as candidates for the role. However, these two are both yet to have managed a club quite as big as Los Blancos in their careers so far, so it remains to be seen how suitable they would be for the role.

Of course, though, as things stand there aren't a whole load of experienced names on the market as realistic targets, but there are still numerous options who may well make the club's shortlist. Taking all that into account GIVEMESPORT has decided to rank all the options Real Madrid might be considering right now, before naming the best option to appoint in the summer.

10 Jose Mourinho

Between 2010 and 2013, the Mourinho circus pulled into town and certainly made a big impact on Spanish football. Constantly clashing with bitter rivals Barcelona, Madrid still managed to win La Liga, Copa del Rey, and the Supercopa de España during the 60-year-old's tempestuous tenure. In recent years, though, it feels as though his career has been on the slide.

After a difficult spell at Spurs, Mourinho joined Roma. And while he delivered a Europa Conference League title in his first season back in Italy, things have looked pretty abject this term with his side 16th in Serie A on five points, having lost three, drawn two and won just one of their first six league matches. With that in mind, he could soon be looking for a different job but Real Madrid would be wise to consider other options.

9 Antonio Conte

If Madrid want to simply higher a big name who is currently looking for a job, then they should look no further than Conte. Among numerous other trophies, the Italian has won Serie A with both Inter Milan and Juventus, as well as the Premier League with Chelsea.

However, like Mourinho, his most recent spell as manager of Tottenham was fairly disastrous. The serial winner failed to end Spurs' ongoing trophy drought and left towards the end of last season having fallen out with just about everyone involved in the club. His lack of success in the Champions League as a coach – having never won the tournament – is another reason why he might not be a great fit for Madrid.

8 Álvaro Arbeloa

It doesn't always have to be the big star names that end up making for the best managers, in fact, quite the opposite can often be the case – Diego Maradona springs to mind. But Arbeloa certainly had a very respectable playing career even if he never stole many headlines.

He spent the bulk of his career at Real Madrid – winning plenty of major trophies – in two separate spells, as well as coming through the youth academy before hanging up his boots in 2017. Since retirement, he has been appointed manager of the under-14 side and progressed to the Juvenil A (the U19 team) in just two years. Arbeloa is highly rated within the club and Ancelotti recently suggested that he could be the club's manager "one day".

7 Marcelo Gallardo

Those in Europe might not be too familiar with the name but if Real Madrid wanted to take a chance on someone a little outside the box, they could opt for Gallardo. Still only 47 years of age, the Argentine is a two-time winner of Copa Libertadores with River Plate but is currently without a job after leaving in 2022 in order to take a short break in his coaching career.

Beyond those eight years spent with the South American giants, Gallardo was also coached by legendary figure Marcelo Bielsa during his time with the Argentina national team. He seems destined to get a shot at European football sooner or later and it would certainly be fascinating to see how he could perform with Los Blancos.

6 Hansi Flick

Flick is currently without a job after a woeful spell in charge of the German national team. He won just 12 of his 25 games in charge and lost four of his final five before becoming the country's first manager to be sacked since the role was created in 1926.

However, it shouldn't be forgotten that he was handed the job because of the incredible work he did at Bayern Munich. After all, he won the Bundesliga in each of his two seasons in charge, while he also lifted the DFB-Pokal, the Club World Cup and the Champions League. Perhaps he's just better suited to club football. Real Madrid may well take this view but it remains to be seen just how damaging his time with Germany really was for his reputation.

5 Mikel Arteta

If you take Rio Ferdinand as a reliable source, this could be one rumour to keep an eye on. Last season the Man United legend said on his YouTube channel Vibe with Five (via AS): “I heard Ancelotti, Don Carlo, the eyebrow, he might be getting off, and that Arteta is looking to go to Real Madrid. That’s the rumour on the streets. The streets are talking.”

It feels unlikely that the Spaniard would abandon the project he's building at Arsenal right now to head to Madrid – especially as a former Barcelona youngster who spent time in the fabled La Masia academy. But in football, you just never know. After the job he's done in North London, Arteta is viewed as one of the most talented young coaches in the world and so it would make sense for Los Blancos to at least keep an eye on him. His driven and steely personality could make him a great fit within the pressured environment.

4 Roberto De Zerbi

This would also require a little bravery from Loc Blancos but it could be spectacular. While is still pretty young at 44, De Zerbi has done such an amazing job at Brighton – turning them into one of the Premier League's best teams and taking them into European competition – he would be a wonderfully exciting appointment for Real Madrid.

Sure, he's never been in charge of a club quite as big as Los Blancos, but he does have experience across Europe with Serie A club Sassuolo and then Shakhtar Donetsk in Ukraine. Add that to what he's achieved in England and you can see why Napoli, as well as Madrid, have also been linked with the Italian in recent times.

3 Zinedine Zidane

They often say in football, you should never go back. Well, Zidane can do whatever he likes because he's just that good. Indeed, in his first spell as Madrid manager, he smoothly transitioned from Castilla coach into the senior set-up, leading the team to glory in La Liga, the Champions League and the Club World Cup. He then resigned before coming back shortly after to win even more trophies.

With that in mind, if the Frenchman – who hasn't worked in football since leaving in 2021 – felt like coming back to Spain for a third spell with his former side, Real Madrid would be foolish to turn him down. It feels as though success would inevitably follow...

2 Raúl

Of course, if Madrid wanted to follow along the same line of thinking that saw them hire Zidane in the first place, they could also give the job to Raúl instead. The striker is a true club legend, having scored 323 goals during his time with the Spanish giants.

For that reason alone, he'd be warmly welcomed back at the Santiago Bernabéu but he's also shown plenty of promise as a coach, working with the U15s initially, before moving in to become Real Madrid Castilla in 2019, where he remains despite having reportedly had the chance to take charge of teams such as Espanyol, Leeds, and Eintracht Frankfurt (via Marca).

1 Xabi Alonso

The former Los Blancos midfielder also spent time at Bayern Munich where he just so happened to work with Ancelotti. Since retiring, Alonso spent some time coaching the Real Madrid U14s before moving on to Real Sociedad B. In October 2022, Alonso took charge of Bayer Leverkusen and hasn't looked back since.

Indeed, the Spaniard currently has his side joint top of the Bundesliga, while he also earned plaudits for his efforts with the club last term. What's more, Ancelotti recently named Alonso, alongside Raúl and Arbeloa, as one of his picks for the future job, telling the press: