In response, club president Florentino Perez hired Alonso and sanctioned around €180million (£155m; $210.5m) to be spent on new players, including defenders Dean Huijsen, Alvaro Carreras and Trent Alexander-Arnold, along with exciting young Argentine playmaker Franco Mastantuono.

Real Madrid will face Osasuna on August 19, the final La Liga game in round 1 of the 2025-26 season. Xabi Alonso will get his debut season underway at the Santi

Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso said on Monday he wanted his team's performance on the pitch to do the talking for him as he begins his first LaLiga campaign at home against Osasuna on Tuesday.

Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid project started with a 1-0 win against Osasuna on Tuesday.

Kylian Mbappe struck from the penalty spot as Real Madrid beat a dogged Osasuna 1-0 on Tuesday to make a winning start in LaLiga under new coach Xabi Alonso.

Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens break down the good and the bad from Xabi Alonso's winning start to Real Madrid's LaLiga campaign. The pair also discuss all the latest transfer news, as the Alexander Isak saga continues and Eberechi Eze looks set to pick Arsenal over Tottenham.