Real Madrid confirmed the departure of coach Alvaro Arbeloa on Tuesday, a decision that clears the path for Jose Mourinho to return to the club.
The 15-time European champions reached a mutual agreement with Arbeloa to end his tenure as first-team manager.
The announcement follows Arbeloa’s own statement on May 22, when he revealed he would step down at the end of the campaign.
Arbeloa took over as interim boss in January to replace Xabi Alonso, but his brief stint produced highly disappointing results.
Under his guidance, the team suffered a shocking Copa del Rey exit against second-tier Albacete and endured multiple La Liga defeats that derailed their title aspirations.
Bayern Munich also eliminated the Spanish giants in the Champions League quarter-finals, condemning Real Madrid to a second consecutive trophyless season.

The club finalised Arbeloa’s exit just two days after voters re-elected Florentino Perez as club president.
Management now expects this vacancy to fast-track negotiations with Mourinho.
The Portuguese manager could return to the Bernabeu dugout 13 years after concluding his first spell with the club.
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