Xabi Alonso is officially introduced as the coach of Real Madrid. The returning manager has big plans, as he reveals at his introductory press conference – and thanks his predecessor.
Xabi Alonso has recently been officially appointed as the coach of Real Madrid. On Monday, the 43-year-old was presented at the Royal club’s training ground and immediately addressed the media.
“It is undoubtedly a very special day for me today. A day that I will have marked in the calendar for my whole life,” Alonso began his speech with emotional words: “I am very happy to be here, in my home. I was away for a few years, but the connection to Real Madrid and Madridismo never ceased to exist.”
Xabi Alonso was officially introduced as the coach of Real Madrid.
From 2009 to 2014, the Spaniard was allowed to call Real his home and was thus part of the “golden age of our history,” as President Florentino Pérez described it. He formally ennobled his new coach: “You are one of the best coaches in the world. Now you are back home.”
Alonso, who signed a contract until 2028, has big plans with Real: “We have fantastic players and a team with very good potential. I am convinced that we can achieve significant things.” After a season without a title, things should improve again under Alonso.
Alonso: “Without him, I probably wouldn’t be here”
Alonso extended a special thanks to his predecessor Carlo Ancelotti: “Without what I learned from him, I probably wouldn’t be here.” The 65-year-old was his coach in the Spanish capital for two years, and together they won the Champions League in 2014. The Italian is “a great person, a coach who shaped me and a great influence.”
Alonso should now have a big influence on the star-studded team around Mbappé, Vini Jr. and Co. After missing out on the championship, losing in the Copa del Rey final (both won by FC Barcelona) and the Champions League exit against FC Arsenal, Real is going into the new season title-hungry.
“People should say: ‘This is my team, I like this team, this is my Real Madrid.’ If we manage to ignite that, we have an unstoppable force,” Alonso announced.
At the Club World Cup in the USA (June 14 – July 13), Alonso has the first opportunity to show where his path with the Royals should go.