Xabi Alonso's worst night in Madrid: “I wanted to leave”

Xabi Alonso continues to take steps as a coach at Real. The former player has recently renewed his contract with Real Sociedad, where he directs Sanse, for one more season, despite rumors of interest from Germany and that he already appears in the English media pool to take over Liverpool at the time Klopp leaving office. Meanwhile, Xabi Alonso has remembered the old days in the podcast of his ex-partner Carragher.

The former midfielder has been sincere with the former defender of his team about their times together, but also about their time at Real Madrid. In relation to that, Xabi Alonso has explained what is the worst memory he saves from his stay at the white club, a day when he really felt ashamed. “The league game at the Camp Nou that we lost 5-0, that was the worst night I've ever lived on a football field. 20 minutes into the game, I confess that I wanted to leave, go home now, shower and come back. It was so painful that it gave us great determination for what came next. We could not be as naive again or we would not have beaten them the following season, “he explains. Xabi Alonso remembers that match of the 2010-11 season as one of the epicenters of that battle of classics between Madrid de Mourinho and Barcelona de Guardiola, where the tension was palpable Alonso is one of the few players who has been under the command of both coaches, since he was led by Guardiola at Bayern.

Now, he prefers to avoid the question and detour around which of them he resembles the most as a coach, but he does say that he wants to take firm steps in his arrival at the elite of the benches. He prefers to wait to be ready the moment he sits on the bench of a great. “I don't want it to come too early. I'm still young. I want to take steps and develop my knowledge of the game, make mistakes and learn to correct them,” he explains.

Alonso also reviewed with Carragher the catharsis of the 2005 Champions League final, the one in which Liverpool beat Milan 3-0 to end up winning on penalties. They both remembered what happened at halftime. “I was mad at myself thinking that we couldn't so easily throw away such a beautiful opportunity,” he says. “I was a little embarrassed with what we were doing. More than thinking about others, it was painful for how I felt. Later, Rafa Benítez spoke to us and made some changes. I thought, 'Let's see how this works, “he says now. The former midfielder acknowledges that the reaction of the fans also had a lot to do with his response on the field.” Hearing the boos from our fans was important because they didn't want to kill us, but we thought about try to give them something to believe in, try to have some hope, “he sums up.

Alonso was asked by Carragher about the five ideal players, those five who would have always liked to have on his team and one of the choices disappointed the former defender. “The goalkeeper is Manuel Neuer. For me, he is the best I have seen and the best I have played with.” Ramos is his choice in defense. “He has been my teammate for years and in the national team. He has won everything, he has records with Spain, four Champions League, the World Cup, two European Cups …”, says Alonso before a Carragher who feels “disappointed” by include Ramos as a Liverpool supporter. What happened between Ramos and Salah in the 2018 final still weighs on Carragher. In the center of the field, Xabi Alonso stays with Gerrard. “He did not play, he danced on the field. He was very elegant in all his movements. I have admired him since then and, apart from that, he has done everything in football and I love the way he plays,” he says.

In attack, Alonso chose two legends like Maradona and Ronaldo Nazario. “Maradona is an icon, the greatest I do not know, but he is more than a footballer. Like Muhammad Ali in boxing, Maradona is that in football,” he emphasizes. And Ronaldo captivated him. Alonso was almost a teenager when he met him in the fields. “I was very young and he had a great impact on me when I watched football when I was 16 or 17 years old. I loved watching him. Later, I was closer to players as good as him, probably Cristiano or Messi, but for me he is someone who always it's on my mind, “he says.