Official, Alonso Becomes Real Madrid's New Coach

MADRID, SUNDAY – Real Madrid has officially appointed Xabi Alonso as the new coach, replacing Carlo Ancelotti who has been recruited by the Brazilian national football team. He has been contracted until June 30, 2028, at the Spanish giant club.

As reported by the BBC, on Sunday (25/5/2025), Alonso will lead Real Madrid in the upcoming Club World Cup from June 14 to July 13. He will be introduced as the new coach of "Los Blancos" on Monday (26/5/2025).

Alonso, who has made 236 appearances as a player for Real, is considered the right coach to replace Ancelotti. As a player, he has lifted the "Big Ears," the nickname for the UEFA Champions League trophy, twice, once with Liverpool (2005) and once with Real Madrid (2014).

The FIFA World Cup trophy was also won by him with Spain in 2010. Moreover, there is a long list of domestic championship titles. Almost at every club he played for, Alonso left a mark of victory.

He once won the FA Cup with Liverpool, the Spanish League and the Spanish Cup with Real, and achieved a hat-trick or three consecutive championship titles in the German League with Bayern Munich.

There is a reason why Real Madrid dares to recruit Alonso, who is considered a young coach at the age of 43. They need a refresh, similar to when they first recruited Zidane in 2016. At that time, Zidane was also 43 years old.

Madrid is not a foreign club to him. In addition to having represented the club as a player, he also began his coaching career there. After retiring in 2017, Alonso led the U-14 team at the Real Madrid Academy. He then received a promotion to become the Coach of Real Sociedad B, which competes in the Segunda Division, the second tier of Spanish football.

After that, he moved to Germany to lead Bayer Leverkusen. Although his experience is still limited, he has proven to be a successful coach. In his second season as a coach in Germany, namely 2023-2024, he led Leverkusen to win the German League for the first time in the club's history.

Bayern Munich's hegemony was also dismantled by him with the addition of the trophy collection of the German League Cup and the German Super Cup. In continental competitions, he even led Leverkusen to the Europa League final. However, at that time, he and his team were defeated by Atalanta, 0-3, in the final match.

Remarkably, Leverkusen under Alonso has made history as the only unbeaten champion in a single season in the German League. They also recorded 51 unbeaten matches across various competitions, surpassing the record set by Benfica (Portugal) with 48 matches from 1963 to 1965.

Alonso's impressive achievements could serve as a strong asset for Real to at least revive the competition in Spain with their eternal rival, Barcelona FC, which is currently rebuilding its glory under its new coach, Hansi Flick.

"He (Alonso) has done an extraordinary job (at Leverkusen). The door is always open for him because he has proven to be one of the greatest in the world," Ancelotti stated about his successor. (BBC)