After guiding Bayer Leverkusen to an historic unbeaten domestic double last season — securing the club’s first-ever Bundesliga title and ending Bayern Munich’s 11 years of dominance — it was only a matter of time before Xabi Alonso became heavily linked with Europe’s elite.
With Carlo Ancelotti expected to leave Real Madrid at the end of the season, or possibly sooner depending on results, Alonso looks poised to take the next big step in his managerial career.
Advertisement
On the latest episode of The Athletic FC Podcast, Ayo Akinwolere was joined by Real Madrid writer Guillermo Rai and Tomas Hill Lopez-Menchero to discuss whether now is the right time for the 43-year-old to return to Madrid, and if he’s ready for the pressure that comes with managing one of the world’s biggest clubs. Watch the full discussion below.
A partial transcript has been edited for clarity and length. The full episode is available on YouTube below or in The Athletic FC Podcast feed on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Ayo: Tomas, this is a really interesting one that we’ve been talking about for a while. Do you think it’s time for Xabi Alonso to step up? He had a wonderful season last year with Leverkusen when they went unbeaten in the league, and this season has been OK as well. It hasn’t been great, but it’s been OK. They’re still second in the Bundesliga, and had an OK Champions League run.
Some might say perhaps he wants to test himself at a bigger stage, but there’s also a certain Florentino Perez on the other side, who is a tricky customer, isn’t he?
Tomas: Yeah, it’s hard to say whether it’s the right time for Xabi Alonso. But you could ask that about any coach being linked with Real Madrid, because it’s such a big job with unique pressures. I do think him having bided his time as a coach over the past couple of seasons plays in his favour. He’s clearly chosen a pretty intelligent path by coaching Real Sociedad’s B team, where he came through as a player, and then going to Leverkusen, maybe a bit out of the spotlight.
I definitely see parallels there with Zidane when he joined Madrid as a legendary former player. But Xabi Alonso is far advanced in his coaching career and has already achieved such great success with Leverkusen, which plays in his favour. Again, it’s just how the chips fall when you’re actually at the Bernabeu. I do think his experience at the club as a player, where he also left on his own terms, all helps.
Advertisement
He knows how to manage those unique pressures, and the players would look up to him. You know that from reading, watching and listening to interviews with his Leverkusen players. They look up to him because of the legendary playing career he had, and I’m sure he would be able to instil his philosophy at Madrid. You just feel like he has the personality to do that.
Ayo: Yeah, he does have a certain aura because of what he’s won as a player and as a coach now, especially with what he’s done at Leverkusen. But the expectation at Leverkusen when he arrived would have been a lot different to the expectation and the pressure of arriving at Real Madrid. Especially off the back of a season where they haven’t won the Champions League, and there’s a chance they might not win La Liga or the Copa del Rey either.
He’s going to be coming into that and trying to implement new ideas, which will be difficult. Do you think he’s the kind of coach who can wear that pressure?
Guillermo: He has the experience from his career as a player, as you said, which will help. He also knows how Real Madrid works, and he was a coach at the Real Madrid academy, which was his first job as a football coach. So I would say that he has the experience. But when you arrive at Madrid as the coach of the first team, it’s a completely different scenario. So we will have to see, because he hasn’t had this experience at Leverkusen.
I remember a conversation I had with a Real Madrid senior source back last year when there were some discussions regarding Xabi Alonso’s future. The source told me something significant, which was, “We understand that Xabi is staying for one more year because he has nothing to lose at Leverkusen, and all that he does is positive for the club.”
It was something that I considered significant because at Real, it’s difficult to get anything positive apart from a triumph, apart from a title. In other clubs, if you see growth and development, then people will be happy. But here at Real, even if the fans complain, or even if some directors complain about the style, what they really need is the triumph and the victory. Xabi will have to deal with that along with all the changes that will take place. And if Real Madrid have to pay something for him, the pressure will be higher.
Advertisement
Even though we were talking about a gentleman’s agreement earlier, it has been reported elsewhere in Germany that there could be a breakout clause in his contract with Bayer Leverkusen. So imagine if Real have to pay a fee for Xabi Alonso. That will only increase the pressure, and people will say, ‘If we are paying for a coach like a player, then he will have to deliver.’
You can listen to full episodes of The Athletic FC Podcast for free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and watch on YouTube.
(Top Photo: Lars Baron/Getty Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
2025 NBA playoff bracket: First-round matchups, schedule, game times as Thunder advance to second round
The 2025 NBA Playoffs are in full swing, as the field remains wide-open as we march through the first round series. The Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder entered as the No. 1 seeds in their respective conferences, but the defending champion Boston Celtics are considered the favorite by many experts and sportsbooks. The Thunder became the first NBA team to advance to the second round, completing a sweep of the Grizzlies on Saturday. The remaining Western Conference series are as follows: Rockets vs. Warriors, Lakers vs. Timberwolves and Nuggets vs. Clippers. The star-laden conference gives us superstars like Nikola Jokić, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, LeBron James, Anthony Edwards and Kawhi Leonard all in action, and it promises to be a tight race to the finish. Out East, we've got the Cavs vs. Heat, Celtics vs. Magic, Knicks vs. Pistons and Pacers […]
2025 Kentucky Derby post positions, morning line odds: Gate assignments for all 20 horses in the field
Getty Images The 151st running of the Kentucky Derby is set for next Saturday, May 3 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. On Saturday the 20 horses in the Derby field learned what post they would be running out of.The favorite, Journalism (3-1), drew the 8 post, while the only other horses with single-digit odds find themselves on the far outside of the starting gate. Sovereignty (5-1) drew the 18 post while Sandman (6-1) is alongside in the 17th position -- the only gate to never produce a Kentucky Derby winner. That means Sandman will have to look to make history next Saturday from that outside post. Last year's winner, Mystik Dan, won from the 3 gate, becoming the first horse to do so since 1998. The longest drought of any post aside from 17's 150-race winless streak belongs to the […]
Lions 2025 NFL Draft takeaways: Most needs were met, but was one edge rusher enough?
ALLEN PARK, Mich. — Brad Holmes, for the final time this weekend, was on hand Saturday to put a bow on the 2025 NFL Draft, after welcoming seven new players to the Detroit Lions franchise he’s overseen for five of these events now.However, it wouldn’t be draft weekend without Holmes defending his selections and process, despite his track record of success.Advertisement“I think the tough part about it is that the people on the outside, they have very limited information about the decisions that we make and we have all the information which goes into that decision,” he said. “Also, not just the information that’s available, but also the work that we have to put into it. … And so someone that doesn’t do that work or has that information available to them, they don’t know that, so they’re going to […]
NFL Draft 2025 winners and losers: Browns make intriguing QB move, Steelers lose Rodgers leverage
All 257 picks are in the books, and every general manager and head coach around the NFL likely sat at a podium Saturday night with a smile and said something to the effect of, “we got our guys.”Time will tell if they did.But after an eventful weekend in Green Bay — highlighted by one of the more stunning draft falls in recent memory — here’s a look at the notable winners and losers from the 2025 NFL Draft.AdvertisementWinnersThe Browns’ interesting QB gambleI panned Cleveland’s thinking Thursday night after the Browns passed on a player, Travis Hunter, who could turn out to be one of the league’s most electric talents. That trade won’t age well for the Browns if Hunter becomes the star the Jaguars believe he will.And outside of Myles Garrett, little about the Browns’ 2025 looks promising, especially the […]
Mets reliever A.J. Minter leaves game, likely head to injured list
WASHINGTON — Top lefty reliever A.J. Minter is likely landing on the injured list, manager Carlos Mendoza said after the New York Mets’ 2-0 win over the Washington Nationals on Saturday.Minter walked off the mound in the middle of an at-bat during the eighth inning because, he said, he felt his triceps tighten. Minter is expected to get an MRI on Sunday. Echoing Mendoza, Minter said he anticipated going on the injured list.Advertisement“When you got a pitcher coming out of a game because of an arm,” Mendoza said, “even if we get good news, you still gotta be careful. But I don’t want to get ahead of myself. We gotta wait and see what we are dealing with here.”After throwing the ninth pitch of his outing, Minter grimaced, shook his head and walked around the mound. He exited with the […]
Aaron Gordon JUST beats buzzer with game-winning dunk as Nuggets shock Clippers
<!--> Aaron Gordon slammed down Nikola Jokic's miss as time expired to lift the Denver Nuggets over the Los Angeles Clippers 101-99 on Saturday to tie their playoff series 2-2.Video review confirmed the ball left Gordon’s hands above the rim just before the buzzer sounded after the Nuggets had blown a 22-point lead.Jokic had 36 points, 21 rebounds and eight assists to lead the Nuggets. Michael Porter Jr. and Christian Braun had 17 points apiece.ADVERTISEMENT -->Kawhi Leonard scored 24 points for the Clippers. Norman Powell added 22 and Ivica Zubac had 19 points, 12 rebounds and six assists.The Nuggets split their two games at the new Intuit Dome. Game 5 is Monday in Denver.A skirmish between the teams near the end of the first half resulted in six technical fouls, including on Jokic.The Clippers led for the first time in […]
Related
2025 NBA playoff bracket: First-round matchups, schedule, game times as Thunder advance to second round
The 2025 NBA Playoffs are in full swing, as the field remains wide-open as we march through the first round series. The Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder entered as the No. 1 seeds in their respective conferences, but the defending champion Boston Celtics are considered the favorite by many experts and sportsbooks. The Thunder became the first NBA team to advance to the second round, completing a sweep of the Grizzlies on Saturday. The remaining Western Conference series are as follows: Rockets vs. Warriors, Lakers vs. Timberwolves and Nuggets vs. Clippers. The star-laden conference gives us superstars like Nikola Jokić, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, LeBron James, Anthony Edwards and Kawhi Leonard all in action, and it promises to be a tight race to the finish. Out East, we've got the Cavs vs. Heat, Celtics vs. Magic, Knicks vs. Pistons and Pacers […]
2025 Kentucky Derby post positions, morning line odds: Gate assignments for all 20 horses in the field
Getty Images The 151st running of the Kentucky Derby is set for next Saturday, May 3 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. On Saturday the 20 horses in the Derby field learned what post they would be running out of.The favorite, Journalism (3-1), drew the 8 post, while the only other horses with single-digit odds find themselves on the far outside of the starting gate. Sovereignty (5-1) drew the 18 post while Sandman (6-1) is alongside in the 17th position -- the only gate to never produce a Kentucky Derby winner. That means Sandman will have to look to make history next Saturday from that outside post. Last year's winner, Mystik Dan, won from the 3 gate, becoming the first horse to do so since 1998. The longest drought of any post aside from 17's 150-race winless streak belongs to the […]
Lions 2025 NFL Draft takeaways: Most needs were met, but was one edge rusher enough?
ALLEN PARK, Mich. — Brad Holmes, for the final time this weekend, was on hand Saturday to put a bow on the 2025 NFL Draft, after welcoming seven new players to the Detroit Lions franchise he’s overseen for five of these events now.However, it wouldn’t be draft weekend without Holmes defending his selections and process, despite his track record of success.Advertisement“I think the tough part about it is that the people on the outside, they have very limited information about the decisions that we make and we have all the information which goes into that decision,” he said. “Also, not just the information that’s available, but also the work that we have to put into it. … And so someone that doesn’t do that work or has that information available to them, they don’t know that, so they’re going to […]
NFL Draft 2025 winners and losers: Browns make intriguing QB move, Steelers lose Rodgers leverage
All 257 picks are in the books, and every general manager and head coach around the NFL likely sat at a podium Saturday night with a smile and said something to the effect of, “we got our guys.”Time will tell if they did.But after an eventful weekend in Green Bay — highlighted by one of the more stunning draft falls in recent memory — here’s a look at the notable winners and losers from the 2025 NFL Draft.AdvertisementWinnersThe Browns’ interesting QB gambleI panned Cleveland’s thinking Thursday night after the Browns passed on a player, Travis Hunter, who could turn out to be one of the league’s most electric talents. That trade won’t age well for the Browns if Hunter becomes the star the Jaguars believe he will.And outside of Myles Garrett, little about the Browns’ 2025 looks promising, especially the […]
Mets reliever A.J. Minter leaves game, likely head to injured list
WASHINGTON — Top lefty reliever A.J. Minter is likely landing on the injured list, manager Carlos Mendoza said after the New York Mets’ 2-0 win over the Washington Nationals on Saturday.Minter walked off the mound in the middle of an at-bat during the eighth inning because, he said, he felt his triceps tighten. Minter is expected to get an MRI on Sunday. Echoing Mendoza, Minter said he anticipated going on the injured list.Advertisement“When you got a pitcher coming out of a game because of an arm,” Mendoza said, “even if we get good news, you still gotta be careful. But I don’t want to get ahead of myself. We gotta wait and see what we are dealing with here.”After throwing the ninth pitch of his outing, Minter grimaced, shook his head and walked around the mound. He exited with the […]
Aaron Gordon JUST beats buzzer with game-winning dunk as Nuggets shock Clippers
<!--> Aaron Gordon slammed down Nikola Jokic's miss as time expired to lift the Denver Nuggets over the Los Angeles Clippers 101-99 on Saturday to tie their playoff series 2-2.Video review confirmed the ball left Gordon’s hands above the rim just before the buzzer sounded after the Nuggets had blown a 22-point lead.Jokic had 36 points, 21 rebounds and eight assists to lead the Nuggets. Michael Porter Jr. and Christian Braun had 17 points apiece.ADVERTISEMENT -->Kawhi Leonard scored 24 points for the Clippers. Norman Powell added 22 and Ivica Zubac had 19 points, 12 rebounds and six assists.The Nuggets split their two games at the new Intuit Dome. Game 5 is Monday in Denver.A skirmish between the teams near the end of the first half resulted in six technical fouls, including on Jokic.The Clippers led for the first time in […]
Be the first to leave a comment