Xabier Alonso Olano is a Spanish football coach and former professional player who is currently the head coach of Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen.
70 Facts About Xabi Alonso
2.
Xabi Alonso began his career at Real Sociedad, the main team of his home province Gipuzkoa.
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On 23 June 2012, Xabi 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.
4.
Xabi Alonso was born in the small town of Tolosa, Gipuzkoa, Basque Country, into a family known for its footballing prowess.
5.
Xabi Alonso featured in the national team, winning 21 caps over the course of his career.
6.
Xabi Alonso lived in the city of Barcelona for the first six years of his life and moved to San Sebastian thereafter.
7.
Xabi Alonso 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.
8.
Xabi Alonso was influenced by his father's playing, taking more pleasure in passing the ball well than shooting at goal.
9.
At age 15, Xabi 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.
10.
Xabi Alonso's move to Real Sociedad was not a companionless one, as his older brother Mikel, who had become an adept player, joined the club together with him.
11.
Xabi Alonso quickly progressed through the youth ranks and the reserve team at Real Sociedad and impressed enough to earn a first team debut at the age of 18.
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Xabi Alonso made his first senior appearance against Logrones in December 1999 in a Copa del Rey match.
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Xabi Alonso failed to make another appearance in the season but the following year brought more opportunities.
14.
Toshack lauded Xabi Alonso, noting that the impression he had on the team was exceptional, especially for a player from the youth team.
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Under the tutelage of John Toshack, Xabi Alonso's captaincy marked a resurgence of form for Real Sociedad.
16.
Xabi Alonso appeared consistently in La Liga with 30 appearances over the course of the season and scored his first league goal, finishing with a season total of three.
17.
Real Sociedad's management changed again in the summer of 2002 with the arrival of Raynald Denoueix, but Xabi Alonso kept his place in the first team on the strength of his past performances.
18.
Xabi Alonso received much praise for his role in the team's success and was given the Best Spanish Player award by Spanish sports magazine Don Balon.
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Xabi Alonso's performances earned Alonso national repute and Inaki Saez, the coach of the Spain national team, called him up for the Spain national football team.
20.
Xabi Alonso revelled in the opportunity to perform in Europe, appearing in all the team's games, and Real Sociedad qualified for the knockout phase of the Champions League.
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Xabi Alonso had other concerns and focused on international duty with Spain at UEFA Euro 2004.
22.
Xabi Alonso was not picked for Real Sociedad's pre-season friendlies, signalling that an offer by Liverpool was being treated seriously.
23.
Xabi Alonso did not lament the fact that a move to Real Madrid had not materialised.
24.
Xabi Alonso arrived at Liverpool along with Luis Garcia from Barcelona, marking the beginning of a new era at Anfield.
25.
Xabi Alonso made his Premier League debut for the Merseysiders against Bolton Wanderers at the Reebok Stadium on 29 August 2004.
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Furthermore, Xabi Alonso scored his first goal for the team from a free kick to bring Liverpool ahead of the opposition.
27.
Xabi Alonso was elated at the achievement and felt he was settling in well in England.
28.
Xabi Alonso made his return to the first team in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Juventus.
29.
Xabi Alonso was distraught that he would miss the game and vehemently contested the referee's decision to no avail.
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Xabi Alonso was praised for his pivotal influence on the team's comeback and manager Benitez reinforced his importance to the team.
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Crouch denied this, highlighting that Xabi Alonso's passing ability, alongside Gerrard, would define Liverpool's style of play.
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Xabi Alonso faced more competition for his place in the form of new arrival Mohamed Sissoko.
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Xabi Alonso appeared in all of Liverpool's games in the Champions League but the dominance shown in the previous season had gone as the team lost to Benfica in the knockout stage.
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Xabi Alonso scored two impressive goals from distance: one from 45 yards, and the other 65 yards from goal; behind the half-way line.
35.
Xabi Alonso, still affected by the injury, could not manage the entire 90 minutes and was substituted in the second half.
36.
Liverpool won on penalties without his help but Xabi Alonso still earned his first FA Cup winners' medal.
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Xabi Alonso rebutted claims that his 70-yard goal was all down to luck and stated that he took long range shots as part of his training routine.
38.
Xabi Alonso returned from injury at December 2007, but over the following months he increasingly faced competition for a place in midfield from Javier Mascherano and Lucas.
39.
Xabi Alonso made his 100th league appearance for Liverpool on 12 January 2008 against Middlesbrough.
40.
However, the club's fans did much to restore his spirits, supporting him on and off the pitch, and Xabi Alonso responded to this, saying:.
41.
Xabi Alonso was given the number 22 jersey in Madrid and played in a holding midfield position.
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Xabi Alonso was a nominee in the LFP Awards, awards given out by the Liga de Futbol Profesional, the Spanish Football league.
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Xabi Alonso was nominated in the Best Midfielder category, alongside Xavi and Javi Martinez.
44.
Xabi Alonso was given the number 14 jersey after the departure of vice-captain Guti.
45.
Xabi Alonso did not score any goals that whole season but was vital.
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Xabi Alonso continued to be an undisputed force in the starting XI and ultimately claimed the first league title of his career.
47.
On 8 January 2014, Xabi Alonso signed a contract extension with Real Madrid, which would have kept him at the club until 2016.
48.
Xabi Alonso received a yellow card after a sliding tackle on Bastian Schweinsteiger in the first half; as he already had two before the match, this ruled him out of the final.
49.
On 29 August 2014, Xabi Alonso moved to Bayern Munich on a two-year deal for an undisclosed fee.
50.
FC Koln, Xabi Alonso broke the record for most passes completed in a Bundesliga game, with 196.
51.
Xabi Alonso would go on to record his fourth goal, another free kick, against Porto in the Champions League quarter-final.
52.
Xabi Alonso was the only player to miss as the club lost the shootout at the end of the 2015 DFL-Supercup away to VfL Wolfsburg, his attempt being saved by goalkeeper Koen Casteels.
53.
On 18 December 2015, Xabi Alonso signed a new contract with Bayern, keeping him at the club until 2017.
54.
Xabi Alonso was substituted off in the 82nd minute for Franck Ribery.
55.
Xabi Alonso was named in the Spanish squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup and he scored Spain's first goal of the tournament, his first international goal, against Ukraine on 14 June 2006.
56.
Xabi Alonso featured mainly as a substitute but, with key players resting, he captained Spain in the final group game against Greece, earning the man of the match award.
57.
Xabi Alonso started every game for Spain during the 2010 tournament, playing alongside Sergio Busquets and Xavi in midfield and helping his side to lift their first-ever World Cup trophy.
58.
Since retiring, Steven Gerrard has claimed that he believes Xabi Alonso was the best midfielder he has ever played alongside.
59.
In 2018, whilst completing his UEFA Elite coaching course alongside former teammates Raul, Xavi, Victor Valdes, and Joan Capdevila, Xabi Alonso returned to Real Madrid where he assumed a role coaching the Real Madrid U14s.
60.
Xabi Alonso was appointed manager of Segunda Division B club Real Sociedad B on 1 June 2019, and began the role on 9 July.
61.
On 25 May 2022, Real Sociedad announced that Xabi Alonso would leave Sanse at the end of the season, with the side already relegated from the second level.
62.
On 5 October 2022, Xabi Alonso was appointed as the new head coach of Bayer Leverkusen until June 2024.
63.
Xabi Alonso replaced Gerardo Seoane with the team second from bottom after eight Bundesliga games.
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Xabi Alonso guided the team to the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa League, being eliminated by his former Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho's Roma via a single first-leg goal.
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Xabi Alonso was regarded as a quiet and friendly person by his former teammates at Liverpool.
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Xabi Alonso is married to Nagore Aranburu and the couple have three children: Jontxu, Ane and Emma.
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Xabi Alonso convinced Arteta to transfer to Everton after he told him how happy he was living in Liverpool.
68.
Xabi Alonso helped persuade former Real Sociedad teammate Juan Ugarte to make a move to Wales by joining Wrexham in 2004.
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Xabi Alonso has another brother involved in football, Jon, who works as a referee.
70.
Xabi Alonso was quoted in The Times Online in 2011 as saying, "I am still a Liverpool fan and will be forever, absolutely" and that he will raise his Liverpool-born son as a Red supporter.