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Xabi Alonso will be the Real Madrid coach for the next three seasons, from June 1, 2025 until June 30, 2028,” said Real Madrid in a statement.

Xabi Alonso has been appointed the new coach of Real Madrid with the Spaniard to take over from June 1 and lead the team at the Club World Cup. “Xabi Alonso will be the Real Madrid coach for the next three seasons, from June 1, 2025 until June 30, 2028,” said Real Madrid in a statement. Alonso succeeds Carlo Ancelotti, who has taken over as Brazil national coach. With veteran Italian coach Ancelotti taking the reins of the Brazilian national team, Madrid secured a deal with former midfielder Alonso, whom they have been linked with for months.

Alonso, 43, leaves German side Bayer Leverkusen at the end of the Bundesliga season after finishing second.

“Alonso is one of the biggest legends at Real Madrid and in world football,” continued Los Blancos’ statement.

“He wore our shirt in 236 games between 2009 and 2014. During that time he won six trophies.”

Alonso will be officially presented on Monday at 1030 GMT.

The Spaniard coached Leverkusen to a league and German Cup double in the 2023-2024 campaign, with his team unbeaten in the top flight, making him a target for Europe’s top clubs.

Basque coach Alonso had an agreement with Leverkusen to allow him to depart if one of his former sides, including Madrid, Liverpool and Bayern Munich, wanted to hire him.

Ancelotti’s Madrid endured a disappointing campaign, winning the European Super Cup and Intercontinental Cup but suffering Champions League quarter-final elimination by Arsenal.

Barcelona beat Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup and Copa del Rey finals and then reclaimed the Liga throne from their arch-rivals, meaning they failed to win a major trophy.

La Decima

Alonso will replace one of the most successful managers in Madrid’s history, despite their struggles this season.

Ancelotti, 65, took Los Blancos to 15 trophies during two spells at the club, spanning six years.

The Italian won three Champions League trophies at the club, including La Decima — Madrid’s 10th — in 2014, with Alonso as part of his squad, although he was suspended for the final.

Alonso was also coached by Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho and Vicente del Bosque among others and is considered tactically adroit and an excellent organiser, which could be ideal for a Madrid side that has lacked balance.

The midfielder won two European Championships and the 2010 World Cup with Spain as he helped La Roja dominate the international game.

After retiring from playing in 2017 he coached Real Madrid and Real Sociedad at youth level before being appointed by Bayer Leverkusen in 2022.

Real Madrid have already signed defender Dean Huijsen from Bournemouth this summer and Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold is expected to follow, with his contract coming to an end at Anfield.

Madrid are trying to bring in the England international before the Club World Cup this summer, which will be Alonso’s first chance to win silverware.

Real Madrid face Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal in Miami on June 18 in their opening match at FIFA’s lucrative summer tournament, which will be the first look at Alonso’s side.

India striker Sunil Chhetri said that his side cannot wait to make amends of the mistakes they had committed in the goal-less draw against Bangladesh.

Talismanic India striker Sunil Chhetri on Sunday said that his side cannot wait to make amends of the mistakes they had committed in the goal-less draw against Bangladesh in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifying round contest in March. India were held to a 0-0 draw by lower-ranked Bangladesh in their opening Group C match of the Asian Cup qualifying third round match on March 25 in Shillong, which left head coach Manolo Marquez fuming. India are up against Hong Kong in their second match — an away game — on June 10 in Kowloon. Chhetri said the match against Hong Kong will be a chance for the team to redeem itself.

“The initial feeling after the Bangladesh game was that we let ourselves down, let the country down. After I saw the replays, I thought we, as a team, could have done so much more. It was a huge opportunity to take the lead in the table, playing Bangladesh at home. We should have done so many things better,” Chhetri said.

“Ending up with just a point, I think we players have no one else but ourselves to blame. We didn’t turn up the way we should have. We’ve talked about it, we’ve seen the videos, and we can’t wait to rectify it,” the 40-year-old said in a release from the All India Football Federation (AIFF).

The Indian team is currently training here and will depart for Pathum Thani on May 28 for an away friendly international match against Thailand on June 4.

Angry and disappointed at the result against Bangladesh, Marquez had made it clear that his team needs a lot of improvement if they are to qualify for the continental showpiece.

“We need to improve a lot because I felt that the team was going forward in every FIFA window except the last,” Marquez said, alluding to the match against Bangladesh.

“It’s true that for the game against Bangladesh, we lost very important starting players. But it’s not an excuse for our poor performance in that game,” he said.

“We need to be aware that we have a difficult game in Hong Kong. We have to be competitive and try to win and get the three points.” India are placed in Group C of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifying third round along with Bangladesh, Hong Kong and Singapore, and only the top team after six home and away matches qualifies for the continental showpiece.

The national camp here began on May 19 and Chhetri, who had come out of international retirement to help India qualify for 2027 Asian Cup, said the head coach has got a bit of time to formulate a plan.

“We players have to make sure that we are in sync as to what the plan is, and go and try and execute it to the best of our ability. But more importantly, the mistake we made against Bangladesh was that we didn’t turn up. And all the preparation, the technical aspect put aside, you have to go and show up.

“We saw some clips of Hong Kong. We will watch more of them. But I think, right now in the stage that we are, we are thinking more about ourselves and slowly we’ll progress into what the opponent is and how they play,” Chhetri said.

India are aiming to qualify for the Asian Cup for the third time in a row and Chhetri said it’s a “bare minimum requirement” for the country to feature in the continental showpiece.

“We should qualify for every Asian Cup, and it’s mandatory. But I don’t want to put pressure on the boys and the team. Let’s take one game at a time.” “Hong Kong, of course, is going to be very crucial. But yes, for India, it’s a bare minimum to qualify for the Asian Cup, so that we can test ourselves with the best in Asia and keep proving that we are improving,” said Chhetri, who is the only Indian player to have played in three editions of the Asian Cup — 2011, 2019 and 2023.

Kush Maini secured victory in the Monte Carlo Sprint Race for DAMS Lucas Oil, converting pole position at the Circuit de Monaco.

Kush Maini secured victory in the Monte Carlo Sprint Race for DAMS Lucas Oil, converting pole position at the Circuit de Monaco. The Indian driver held off fellow Alpine Academy talent Gabriele Minì, who finished second for PREMA Racing, and became the first Indian driver to win a race at the iconic venue. “P1, first Indian to win in Monaco too. It’s a great honour and a dream come true. I want to say thank you to DAMS and everyone who has supported me. We keep believing!” said Maini.

Maini got the perfect start, but Luke Browning fell down the order to fifth by Turn 1. His poor getaway allowed Gabriele Minì to climb up to P2.

Into Mirabeau, Lindblad attempted a pass on Jak Crawford for third but contact between the two allowed Browning back past for fourth and ahead of the American. The Campos driver emerged from the tangle in third but was later handed a 10-second time penalty for causing a collision.

With DRS enabled, Minì was on the rear wing of the race leader, the gap hovering at 0.3s in the opening 10 laps while the pair pulled over eight seconds clear of Lindblad in third.

The gap was neutralised on Lap 12 when the Safety Car was deployed to recover Joshua Duerksen’s AIX Racing car. The Paraguayan driver was left in the barriers ahead of Portier following contact with MP Motorsport’s Oliver Goethe out of Mirabeau that left the AIX with race-ending damage.

Back to racing conditions entering Lap 15, Maini escaped from DRS range to Minì behind while Lindblad had Browning right on his gearbox in the battle for third on the road.

Goethe was on the move again, sneaking his MP car up the inside of Victor Martins at La Rascasse to take P9 on the road. Contact between the pair resulted in a 10-second time penalty for Goethe.

With 10 laps to go, Minì was back to within 0.2s of the race leader, while Lindblad had dropped back by over 10 seconds in order to set up a late-race charge to minimise his time penalty.

The Red Bull Junior Team driver was told to push on Lap 22, and he immediately upped his pace to put a buffer between himself and Browning.

By the final lap, he was on the rear wing of Minì in second with Maini a further couple of seconds up the road.

With Lindblad’s time penalty applied, it gave Browning P3 and dropped the Campos driver to eighth position.

Crawford wound up fourth ahead of Richard Verschoor, Sebastián Montoya, Leonardo Fornaroli, as Lindblad completed the points in P8.

France’s former world number four Caroline Garcia said on Friday she will retire from tennis, with the French Open starting this weekend her last time at Roland Garros.

France’s former world number four Caroline Garcia said on Friday she will retire from tennis, with the French Open starting this weekend her last time at Roland Garros. An 11-time title winner on the WTA tour and former French Open women’s doubles champion, Garcia wrote on social media that she has “a few tournaments left” and will then call it quits. “Dear tennis, it’s time to say goodbye,” the 31-year-old said. “After 15 years competing at the highest level, and more than 25 years putting pretty much every second of my life into it, I feel ready to start a new chapter.”

Garcia has earned nearly $19 million in prize money and won the season-ending 2022 World Tour Finals, seen as the next rung down from Grand Slams.

That same year she won the French Open doubles title for the second time with compatriot Kristina Mladenovic.

Her best run in singles at a major was the semi-finals of the US Open, also in 2022.

She reached a career-high four in the world but is now ranked 145th.

“My tennis journey hasn’t always been easy. Since my early days, tennis has been much more than just winning or losing. It’s been love or hate. Happiness or anger,” she wrote.

“But now it’s time for something else. My body and my personal goals need it.

“Still, this is not over — not just yet. I have a few tournaments left,” she said.

The first will be at Roland Garros when the tournament starts on Sunday.

Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni dropped a hint over his future as IPL 2025 season concludes for his team.

Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and elected to bat against Gujarat Titans in their Indian Premier League match on Sunday, in what could potentially be his last match in the T20 league. Speaking to Ravi Shastri at the time of the toss, Dhoni answered some tricky questions around his physical well-being, ability to play cricket at the age of 43. While Shastri didn’t directly ask if this would be Dhoni’s final season in the IPL, the CSK icon decided to drop a hint himself. 

My body is surviving. Every year is a new challenge. It needs a lot of maintenance. It is the last stage of my career. Didn’t trouble me enough when I was playing international cricket,” Dhoni said after winning the toss and opting to bat first.

While Dhoni didn’t specifically say if he would return to play for CSK next season, he did admit to be in the final stage. 

“It (pitch) looks nice and hard, think it will remain the same throughout the 40 overs. It’s quite hot, looks like a good track. It’s (his body) surviving. Every year is a new challenge. It needs a lot of maintenance. Didn’t trouble me enough when I was playing international cricket. Chennai is very nice after 3.30-4pm, this is a different heat, on the drier side. We are last in the table, we will still remain last, if win or lose. Need to enjoy our cricket. We have one change. Hooda is back for Ashwin. They are a good side, they play authentic cricket. Need to bowl tight lines, otherwise the batters will punish you,” when asked about the team and the pitch, Dhoni revealed that Deepak Hooda has come in for Ravichandran Ashwin.

A victory is crucial in this contest for GT, who have 18 points from 13 matches so far with nine wins, as it will help them ensure a top-two finish for the IPL playoffs.

For CSK, it will be yet another opportunity to test the young talent.

Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Sherfane Rutherford, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Gerald Coetzee, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Mohammed Siraj, Arshad Khan, Prasidh Krishna.

Chennai Super Kings: Ayush Mhatre, Devon Conway, Urvil Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Deepak Hooda, MS Dhoni (c&wk), Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Khaleel Ahmed.

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