Who Is Xabi Alonso? What We Know About Spanish Football Legend

Table of Contents

11 Facts About Xabi Alonso

He is a Spanish coach and former player.
He was born on November 25, 1981 and is 40 years old.
He grew up in Tolosa, Basque, in a football-savvy family.
He moved to the Irish town of Kells at the age of 15 to study English.
His father’s style influenced him to play defensive midfielder.
His international football career ended on August 27, 2014.
He was a top midfielder who was creative and defensive.
He became Bayer Leverkusen’s coach on October 5, 2022.
Nagore Arnburu is his wife.
His children are Jontxu, Ane, and Emma.
His estimated net worth is $20 million.

Who is Xabi Alonso?

Xabi Alonso is currently a football coach from Spain and has competed at the professional level. He turned 40 on November 25, 2018, having been born on November 25, 1981. He is the current coach of Bayer Leverkusen, a team in the Bundesliga. Xabier Alonso Olano is the full form of his name.

Xabi Alonso kicked off his professional career with Real Sociedad, the top club in his native Gipuzkoa. In spite of spending only one season on loan with Eibar, former Real Sociedad manager John Toshack named him captain.

Spain beat Ecuador 4-0 in his maiden international match in 2003. With Spain, he won the 2008 European Championship, the 2010 World Cup, and the 2012 European Championship. His retirement from international football came on August 27, 2014, after Spain was eliminated in the group stage of the 2014 World Cup.

With a transfer fee estimated at over 30 million euros, Xabi Alonso joined Real Madrid for the 2009/2010 season. Bayern Munich of Germany signed him to a two-year contract after he won a league title in 2012 and the Champions League in 2014. A year was added to Xabi Alonso’s contract, and then in 2017, at age 35, he announced his retirement.

Xabi Alonso Early Life

Raised in the town of Tolosa, Gipuzkoa, Basque Country, Xabi Alonso comes from a famous footballing family. Periko Xabi Alonso, his dad, won Li Liga twice in a row with Real Sociedad and finished third with Barcelona. Mikel Alonso, his older brother, was a footballer as well.

In Xabi Alonso’s first six years of life, he split his time between Barcelona and San Sebastian (Donostia). Playa de la Concha, often known as Shell Beach, is where he first developed an interest in football. On the beaches of the Basque Country, he met Mikel Arteta, a fellow indigene of Calle Matia. Both would spar to show off their skills to the audience.

When he and his older brother were younger, their father took them to CE Sabadell’s training ground so they could pursue their passion for football. Xabi Alonso took a lot of inspiration from watching his father play. He was more interested in setting up his teammates than in scoring goals, so he settled on a position in the midfield defense early on.

Kabi Alonso Education

At the tender age of fifteen, Xabi Alonso participated in a school exchange program to the Irish town of Kells, County Meath, in order to improve his command of the English language. Xabi Alonso and Mikel Arteta were both dedicated players who hoped to one day play alongside one another. The two youngsters attended different schools, but they found common ground at the local youth side Antiguoko, where they spent their weekends playing.

After nine years of friendship, the young Donostiarras split up because they had attracted the attention of scouts from top Spanish sides. While Areta joined the ranks of Barcelona, Xabi Alonso joined Real Sociedad to play alongside his talented older brother, Mikel.

Xabi Alonso Career

At Real Sociedad, Xabi Alonso showed enough promise to move up from the youth program and reserve squad to the first team by the time he was 18 years old. In a Copa del Rey game against Logrones in December 1999, he made his first appearance at the senior level.

Real Sociedad experienced a revival during John Toshack’s tenure as captain. When John Toshack saw how talented Xabi Alonso was, he devoted a lot of time to him and developed a training program to help him improve his touch and control on the ball.

As of the summer of 2002, Real Sociedad had a new manager in place with the hiring of Raynald Denoueix. Despite this, Xabi Alonso was able to keep his spot in the first team based on his recent play. Xabi Alonso made 30 appearances in La Liga that season, including many consecutive starts. He also scored his first league goal and finished the year with three in all.

First called into international duty in April of 2003, he helped his team to a 4-0 victory over Ecuador in a friendly match.

The arrival of Xabi Alonso and Luis Garcia from Barcelona to Liverpool heralded a new era in the club’s history.

While playing for the Merseyside club, he made his Premier League debut on August 29, 2004, at the Reebok Stadium against Bolton Wanderers. A free kick he took and put away put Liverpool ahead for the first time in the game. The team’s passing efficiency was largely due to him.

With his deflected goal in the lone goal of Liverpool’s 0-1 victory over Chelsea, Xabi Alonso proved once again how valuable he is to his team. Liverpool became the first away team to win at Stamford Bridge in over four years.

On April 25, 2009, he scored his last goal for the club in a 1-3 victory over Hull City on the road.

His transfer to Real Madrid for 30 million euros was finalized on August 5th, 2009. As a holding midfielder for Real Madrid, Xabi Alonso wore jersey number 22. Back on February 21, 2010, he scored his first goal for the club. As part of a 6-2 victory, a penalty was awarded against Villarreal.

He was one of the team’s most reliable players and scored three goals in his rookie campaign. As a member of the Liga de Futbol Professional, the Spanish Football league, Xabi Alonso was also considered for an LFP Award. Next to Xavi Hernandez and Javi Martinez, he was shortlisted for Best Midfielder. The Spanish media also gave him a moniker. He was also known as “The Red Beard,” or La Barba Roja.

He renewed his contract with Real Madrid on January 8, 2014, and will remain there through 2016. On August 27, 2014, he announced his retirement from international football after leaving a lasting impression on the team and facing constant disappointment with Spain’s performances.

Xabi Alonso Style of Play

The influential creative and defensive midfielder Xabi Alonso is widely considered one of the best of his generation.

His vision, technique, and passing range are all top-notch. He was at his best playing a central playmaking role, where he could drop deep and use his long passing skills to set up his teammates for scoring opportunities.

Because of his height, he had to be defensive in the air and frequently took headshots.

Xabi Alonso as Coach

In 2018, he graduated from the UEFA Elite coaching course, where he was joined by ex-teammates Xavi, Joan Capdevila, Raul, and Victor Valdes. After coming back, he began working as a coach for Real Madrid’s U14 team.

On 1 June 2019, he was named Real Sociedad B’s manager, and he began his stint on 9 July 2019. Even though he was heavily linked to the vacant manager position at Borussia Monchengladbach in 2021, he decided to sign a one-year extension with the club instead.

On May 25, 2022, Real Sociedad announced that Xabi Alonso would be leaving the club for Sanse in the final season of his contract.

On October 5, 2022, he was officially named Bayer Leverkusen’s new head coach.

Xabi Alonso Ethnicity

Tolosa, Spain is the place where Xabi Alonso spent his early years. Both of his parents are from Spain. We can safely assume that Xabi Alonso has Spanish ancestry.

Xabi Alonso Parent

His mother is Isabel Olano, and his father was also a professional football player named Periko Alonso.

Xabi Alonso Siblings

Mikel Xabi Alonso and Jon Xabi Alonso are Xabi’s brothers. All three men have a passing acquaintance with the sport of football, but their interests are quite distinct from one another. His brother Mikel played for the Spanish club Real Union, and his sibling Jon is a referee.