Coach Xabi Alonso left an impression on Real Madrid fans with an emotional speech at his presentation ceremony: “Before talking about the future, I want to thank the past period. Carlo Ancelotti was my coach, a great person and had a huge influence on my career.
Without his guidance, I probably wouldn’t be here today. It is a great honor and pride to inherit his legacy. Hopefully my dedication can live up to expectations and bring the club to the heights we all believe are achievable,” Coach Xabi Alonso paid tribute to his predecessor Carlo Ancelotti.
The Spanish strategist played for Real Madrid from 2009 to 2014 and played 236 matches. Under the guidance of Jose Mourinho, Alonso won 6 major titles with Los Blancos, notably the Champions League in 2014.
In addition, during his playing career, Alonso also won La Liga, the Spanish King’s Cup, the Spanish Super Cup…
In 2017, although he was still capable of continuing to play at the top level, Alonso announced his retirement, then returned to Real Madrid to take charge of the youth team (U14). A year later, despite being targeted by Perez for the U18 coach position, he still left to become the coach of Real Sociedad’s B team.
Coach Alonso made a strong impression when he moved to become the head coach of Bayer Leverkusen in October 2022. He has had great success in helping the team win the Bundesliga with an unbeaten record in the 2023-24 season. This is the main reason why Real Madrid has absolute confidence in this talented coach.
The 43-year-old strategist signed a 3-year contract with the Spanish Royal team, lasting until June 2028 and will start his work from June 1. This is the third time Alonso has returned to Real Madrid, after playing for the team and leading the youth team.
“We are starting a new phase where I feel the club and the fans are very united. We have a strong squad, great players and great potential. That gives me a lot of energy and excitement.
We believe that we can achieve great things, worthy of the stature of Real Madrid and the European Cups in the trophy room. We want to make the fans proud, we want to bring emotions and joy. If we do that, we will become an unstoppable team. Thank you very much. Hala Madrid!”, Coach Alonso declared.
Although he received invitations from both Liverpool and Bayern Munich in the summer of 2024, Coach Alonso turned them down to wait for the opportunity to lead Real Madrid. He will make his official debut with the “White Vultures” at the FIFA Club World Cup in mid-June, starting a new era full of expectations for the team at the Bernabeu.
