Xabi Alonso

Xabier Alonso Olano (, ; born 25 November 1981) is a Spanish professional football manager and former player who is currently the head coach of Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen.

Regarded as one of the best midfielders of his generation, he is also considered one of the most promising young managers in the world.

Alonso began his career at Real Sociedad, the main team of his home province Gipuzkoa.

After a brief loan period at Eibar, he was appointed as team captain of Real Sociedad by then-manager John Toshack.

He made his first senior appearance against Logroñés in December 1999 in a Copa del Rey match.

Alonso failed to make another appearance in the season but the following year brought more opportunities.

At the beginning of the 2000–01 season, Javier Clemente sent him to Segunda División team Eibar to gain experience.

Alonso's father particularly felt the move to the smaller club improved him as a player.

A quick turnover of managers, however, including a two-month period with Periko Alonso in charge, left Real Sociedad in a dire situation.

By January 2001, Real Sociedad were bottom of the league and its new manager, John Toshack, turned to the prodigious Alonso in the hope of reversing the team's fortunes.

In a surprise move, the Welsh manager made the 20-year-old the team captain, a position traditionally held by more senior players.

He succeeded in the role, taking the club to second place in the 2002–03 season.

He made his international debut for Spain in April 2003 in a 4–0 victory against Ecuador.

He moved to Liverpool in August 2004 for £10.5 million and won the UEFA Champions League in his first season, under manager Rafael Benítez, scoring the equalising goal in the Final against Milan.

The following season, he won the FA Cup and the FA Community Shield.

While playing for Spain, Alonso won Euro 2008, Euro 2012 and the 2010 World Cup, and he also represented his country at Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup.

He moved to Real Madrid for the start of the 2009–10 season in a deal worth around £30 million.

After winning honours including a league title in 2012 and the Champions League in 2014 during five seasons in Madrid, he was signed by German club Bayern Munich on a two-year contract.

On 23 June 2012, Alonso won his 100th cap for Spain in the quarter-final of Euro 2012 against France; he celebrated the occasion by scoring both of Spain's goals to send them into the semi-finals.

Following Spain's failure to progress out of the group stages at the 2014 World Cup, Alonso retired from international football on 27 August 2014.

His 114 caps make him the eighth-most capped player in the nation's history.

By the end of the season, Sociedad had climbed out of the relegation zone and finished in 14th place.

This was extended by a further year, and he eventually retired from playing in summer 2017, aged 35, having won the Bundesliga in each of his three seasons with Bayern.

A year after retiring from professional football, he initially coached Real Madrid's U14 team before being appointed as manager of Real Sociedad's reserve team in June 2019, where he helped the team promote to the Segunda División in his second season before leaving the club in May 2022, being named head coach of Bayer Leverkusen five months later.

Alonso was born in the small town of Tolosa, Gipuzkoa, Basque Country, into a family known for its footballing prowess.

His father, Periko Alonso, won La Liga twice in successive seasons with Real Sociedad and a third time after he joined Barcelona.

He also featured in the national team, winning 21 caps over the course of his career.

Alonso lived in the city of Barcelona for the first six years of his life and moved to San Sebastián (Donostia) thereafter.

It was here that his passion for football began as he whiled away his childhood playing at Playa de la Concha (Shell Beach).

On the Basque sands, Alonso befriended a fellow resident of Calle Matia, Mikel Arteta, and the two would battle each other in exhibitions of technical ability.

He was immersed in football and his father would often bring him and his older brother, Mikel, to CE Sabadell's training ground to practice together.

Alonso was influenced by his father's playing, taking more pleasure in passing the ball well than shooting at goal.

At an early age, he decided to play as a defensive midfielder, a role which helped him learn how to distribute the ball well.

This talent would later prove to be an integral part of his club and international career.

At age 15, Alonso went to the Irish town of Kells, County Meath, on a school exchange programme to learn English and while there he played Gaelic Football.

Alonso and Arteta were ambitious and dreamed of playing alongside each other for Real Sociedad when they were older.

Though they attended different schools, the two young players joined forces at the local youth side Antiguoko, playing games at the weekend.

Their performances attracted the attention of scouts from top Spanish sides and the young Donostiarras separated ways, ending nine years of friendly rivalry, as Alonso went to Real Sociedad and Arteta moved to Catalan giants Barcelona.

Alonso's move to Real Sociedad, however, was not a companionless one, as his older brother Mikel, who had also become an adept player, joined the club together with him.

Alonso quickly progressed through the youth ranks and the reserve team at Real Sociedad (winning the regionalised fourth tier in his single season with the latter) and impressed enough to earn a first team debut at the age of 18.