Madrid gobble up another manager

Alonso arrived at Madrid 12 months on from his historic clean sweep in Germany with Bayer Leverkusen, who stormed through an undefeated Bundesliga campaign en route to a long-awaited first title. That success was achieved by a well-drilled team playing in a 3-4-2-1 setup.

Legendary football coach Jurgen Klopp has revealed his immediate reaction upon learning that Real Madrid had fired Xabi Alonso just seven months into the role. The 44-year-old's exit was confirmed less than 24 hours after Los Blancos were beaten by rivals Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final.

Xabi Alonso returned to Real Madrid as a club legend and one of the most sought-after coaches around, but he lasted less than a year. What happened?