The rise of Bayer Leverkusen
Xabi Alonso's journey into management
It is very rare to see a world-class player transition into a world-class manager, but that’s exactly what Xabi Alonso has done. In these five articles we’ll discuss his journey from player to manager, how he achieved what he has with Bayer Leverkusen, and the future of both the club and Xabi Alonso.
We begin by looking at his early career. Many don’t realise that Alonso had an advantage before even turning professional. His father, Periko Alonso, was also a professional footballer and had a successful career himself, winning trophies with Real Sociedad and Barcelona.
“Coming from a footballing family likely gave Xabi Alonso an advantage. His father, Periko Alonso, was a professional footballer who even played for the Spanish national team. Growing up in that environment probably helped Xabi develop a deep understanding of the game from a young age, gave him access to valuable advice and mentorship, and inspired his passion and discipline for football. That kind of background can really shape a player’s mentality and football IQ.”
Real Sociedad
Xabi Alonso began his professional career at Real Sociedad in 1999 when he made his debut in the Copa del Rey. However, he didn’t make another appearance that season and was sent out on loan to Eibar the following year. Real Sociedad were struggling, and Alonso found it hard to break into the first team until January 2001, when they hired John Toshack as manager. Toshack brought Alonso in and made him captain.
Alonso experienced a similar situation at Real Sociedad to the one he later encountered at Leverkusen. Both teams moved from the relegation zone to finish mid-table, and in the following season, they nearly won the league and qualified for the Champions League.
“Xabi Alonso experienced a remarkably similar transformation both as a player at Real Sociedad and later as a manager at Bayer Leverkusen. At Real Sociedad, he helped lift the club from struggling near the relegation zone to becoming title contenders and securing Champions League qualification in just a season. Years later, as Leverkusen’s manager, he led a similar turnaround, taking over a team near the bottom of the Bundesliga and turning them into a side competing for the title and qualifying for the Champions League. In both cases, his influence brought about a dramatic change in the club’s fortunes, showing his ability to inspire and lead both on the pitch and from the sidelines.”
Alonso showed great promise from a young age, as Spanish football expert Rob Palmer explains:
“He was always a player with promise. I was commentating week in and week out and then I got to interview him when Real Sociedad played in the Champions League against Lyon away. He was always a little bit different from other footballers. Everyone knew he was a talent, but what set him apart from other players was his reading of the game and how he saw everything that was going on the pitch. We were looking for English-speaking players to interview, and he was one of the players who gave us an interview. You could tell right away that this guy had something special – there was just something different about him.”
Liverpool
In 2004, Alonso moved to Liverpool, joining alongside fellow Spaniard Luis García during Rafa Benítez’s ‘Rafalution’. Alonso spent five years at Anfield.
Matt Addison, who works for Reach PLC and covers Liverpool, said:
“Xabi Alonso is fondly remembered at Anfield, but the truth is, his best years came later in his career. He reached two Champions League finals with Liverpool, winning one, and was a very good midfielder in the Premier League, but it was with Real Madrid that he really became a serial winner.
“He had a couple of inconsistent seasons but was always a classy operator alongside the likes of Steven Gerrard and Javier Mascherano. He was very close to becoming a Premier League winner with the Reds in 2009, and had he managed that, it would have elevated him to another level.”
He left Liverpool in 2009 on a sour note with manager Rafa Benítez, after Benítez attempted to replace him with Gareth Barry.
“At the time, there was a feeling of inevitability that top Spanish players (and those from South America too) would inevitably end up at Real Madrid or Barcelona, so it was largely accepted. Rafa Benítez had also tried to replace Alonso with Gareth Barry, so it wasn’t a huge shock when Alonso thought about leaving. At the time, it was always likely.”
Real Madrid
Alonso then transferred to Real Madrid, where he was again very successful, winning a La Liga title, two Copa del Rey titles and another Champions League.
“As a player, he is one of the best defensive midfielders in club history. It’s as simple as that. He wasn’t the fastest in terms of covering ground or counterattacking, but he had exceptional awareness and a high football IQ. His passing was brilliant, and he had a fantastic touch. Like I said, he was one of the best defensive midfielders in club history, if not in football history. He was very professional and cold-blooded. I admired him a lot.
“As a person, he was very professional, which is something both the fans and I really appreciated. He gave his absolute best for the badge. He fought hard against Barcelona during that Pep Guardiola era. He was always extremely loyal to Real Madrid and very loyal to Mourinho. There’s nothing to complain about – just a wonderful player to have in your squad. That’s why I think most fans would appreciate having him as a coach.”
Bayern Munich
For the final move in his playing career, Xabi Alonso joined Bayern Munich. Once again, he was very successful, by winning three Bundesliga titles and a DFB Pokal trophy.
Josh from Bavarian Football Works explained Alonso’s time at Bayern Munich:
“It was interesting. When he joined Bayern, we kind of knew he was on the tail end of his career. He had already played, what, five years at Madrid before that, and had his time at Liverpool.
“I think he joined in 2014, so by then, he had about fourteen or fifteen years of senior football under his belt. We knew he was nearing the end of his career, and his role was more about being a leader on the field than anything else.
“We knew what we were getting when we signed Xabi Alonso. This was just a few years after Bayern had suffered some tough losses to Madrid in the Champions League. If I remember correctly, Dortmund had a bit of a streak in the 2010s as well. So, there was some domestic instability at the time. We brought him in, and he turned out to be a fantastic leader.
“His play wasn’t at its peak anymore. I mean, we didn’t have high expectations in that regard, but with the manager we had at the time and the squad we had, he was a good complementary piece. It wasn’t a move that pushed us over the edge, but it worked.”
Life after retirement
On top of the club's success, he also won two European Championships and one World Cup, between 2008-12.
Xabi Alonso retired in Munich and, after his retirement, moved into coaching, starting with Real Madrid’s academy and later moving to Real Sociedad’s B team.
“You can see players like Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, and even Paul Ince before here. These were top-class international players who deserved a chance to move up the footballing ladder in management. Alonso went back and studied, and he probably took the job at Real Madrid because his family was based in Madrid. He could spend a few years with his family and use that time to learn the art of coaching, which is so different from playing. He could do that at a big organisation like Real Madrid, working alongside top-class coaches. Then he went to Real Sociedad and had a successful time with the B team. But because of how well the senior team was doing, he was never going to get the chance. He built a reputation by moving from coaching kids to Real Madrid and then to coaching the B team, developing players into the senior team. Real Sociedad has an incredible ability to bring players through – players in the B team often make it to the senior team. It’s not like most clubs, where 90% of youth players don’t make it. Even though Alonso was the B team manager at Real Sociedad, the players were on the fringes of making it into the first team. Again, he was smart and one step ahead, not just taking a development job.”
Xabi Alonso-Creator: Christof Koepsel | Credit: Getty Images
Xabi Alonso-Creator: Christof Koepsel | Credit: Getty Images
Xabi Alonso - Creator: Tim Markland - PA Images | Credit: PA Images via Getty Images
Xabi Alonso - Creator: Tim Markland - PA Images | Credit: PA Images via Getty Images
Xabi Alonso and Mikel Arteta - Creator: GLYN KIRK | Credit: AFP via Getty Images
Xabi Alonso and Mikel Arteta - Creator: GLYN KIRK | Credit: AFP via Getty Images
Xabi Alonso - Creator: JOHN MACDOUGALL | Credit: AFP via Getty Images
Xabi Alonso - Creator: JOHN MACDOUGALL | Credit: AFP via Getty Images
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