Real Madrid revolution: from football to basketball, every major coach shown the door
Real Madrid have opted for a sweeping shake-up after an exhausting campaign, and the clear-out has begun on the touchline. Not even the men’s first-team job was spared: none of the coaches heading the club’s flagship sides will be in place next season. After Carlo Ancelotti’s departure was confirmed on 23 May, Raúl González Blanco walked away from Castilla, Alberto Toril left the women’s team and, finally, Chus Mateo was relieved of his duties with the basketball outfit. Four benches emptied – a sign that the hierarchy want to turn everything on its head.
Ancelotti bows out - trophy-laden yet underwhelming second stint
Ancelotti, the most successful coach in Madrid’s history with 15 trophies, draws a line under his second spell in charge on what many at the Bernabéu see as a flat note: two pieces of silverware,the UEFA Super Cup and Intercontinental Cup, were scant consolation. In La Liga he finished runners-up to Barcelona, in the Champions League he exited in the quarter-finals against Arsenal, and in both the Copa del Rey and the Supercopa he lost finals to Barça. The Italian will now take over Brazil.
Raúl, Toril and Mateo also depart
Raúl chose to leave Castilla after six seasons that yielded a UEFA Youth League crown in 2020 and a losing play-off final for promotion to the Segunda.
Alberto Toril exits the women’s dug-out after four years without a trophy but with consistent progress: four straight Champions League appearances and three successive Liga runners-up finishes, pushing Barça all the way.
Chus Mateo, despite clinching the most recent ACB title, was sacked following Real’s EuroLeague play-off exit. With six trophies to his name, he leaves as the basketball section’s fourth-most decorated coach.
Real Madrid, then, hit the reset button: from the Bernabéu pitch to the WiZink Center hardwood, the club starts again from scratch.
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