Xabi Alonso quotes Ancelotti and declares his love for Real Madrid: “It’s my home”
The 43-year-old former midfielder defended the club between 2009 and 2014, winning five titles
Former midfielder Xabi Alonso is officially back at Real Madrid. This Monday, the 43-year-old Spaniard was presented as the club’s new coach at the Valdebebas training center. Alonso, who played for the club between 2009 and 2014, arrives after Bayer Leverkusen won a historic Bundesliga title in the 2023/2024 season.
– Today is definitely a very special day for me, a day that I will mark on my calendar. I am very happy to be here, it feels like home. I may have been away for years, but my bond with Madrid fans has never stopped. Since I arrived at Valdebebas an hour and a half ago, I have felt that feeling rekindled, it has been rekindled. President Florentino, thank you very much for your trust and for thinking that I am the right person to lead this new stage.
The coach was also very affectionate towards his predecessor, Carlo Ancelotti, with whom he was champion at both Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. At Real, the most notable trophy won was “La Décima” , the 2014/2015 Champions League.
– Carlo was my coach, he is a great person and he left his mark on me. Without his mastery, I probably wouldn’t be here. I look back on his legacy with great honor and pride in taking the place where Carlo was. I hope to live up to expectations and take the club to all the places we believe we can reach. I feel that the club and the fans are united. We have a great team. We have fantastic players, we have a very good present and one that can have a very good future.
– This gives me many reasons to come with a lot of energy and expectations to get the best out of each one of them and to build a great team. It’s not just me who thinks about this, but the entire staff, who are essential to me. I am truly convinced that we can achieve important things, worthy of Real Madrid. The fans can be proud of the team. We can transmit emotions and joy and we can make the fans enjoy a team and say: “This is my Real Madrid”. If we can understand this, we will have an unstoppable force. I am convinced and have a good feeling that we are going to start something beautiful.
Xabi Alonso replaces Carlo Ancelotti, with whom he won titles both at Real Madrid (Champions League and Copa Rey) and Bayern Munich (German Super Cup and Bundesliga). With Real Madrid, Xabi played 236 official matches, scored five goals and won five titles: Champions League, LaLiga, Spanish Super Cup and two Copa del Rey.
