COLOGNE (GERMANY), 7 Oct. (dpa/EP) –
The former German soccer player Lothar Matthäus pointed out this Friday that the Bundesliga can celebrate the return of Xabi Alonso to the German competition, after the Spaniard, who “as a player, was already a bit of a coach, the one who directed the orchestra”, was announced this Wednesday as the new coach of Bayer Leverkusen.
“I am convinced that the offer from Bayer Leverkusen was not the first one he (Xabi Alonso) received. But now he feels ready,” Matthaus told the German agency dpa.
The world champion with Spain in 2010, and of Europe in 2008 and 2012, and former player of Real Sociedad, Real Madrid, Liverpool and Bayern Munich, rejected other previous offers, but now he felt that it was “the right time”, as assured in his presentation.
The now Leverkusen coach returns to Germany after a three-year spell (2014-2017) as a Bayern Munich player, and his first game on his new bench will be this Saturday against Schalke.
“Xabi Alonso has gained a lot of international experience as a player and has worked with great coaches. As a player, he was already a bit of a coach. The one who led the orchestra,” Matthaus said.
Xabi Alonso, who signed with Leverkusen until 2024, has only trained in the Real youth academy and in the San Sebastian team’s subsidiary, however this is not a problem for Matthaus. “I think the last five years have been a good learning for him. The experience he has gained, also at youth level, will help him enormously to live up to expectations at Leverkusen,” he concluded.