It’s an open secret that Xabi Alonso will become the new coach at Real Madrid. Now, however, the successful Leverkusen coach is set to lead the Royal Blues to their first major title at the Club World Cup in mid-June.
Xabi Alonso still has one week left as coach of Bayer 04 before the Basque’s successful era in Leverkusen comes to an end with Saturday’s match against Mainz 05. After that, the 43-year-old successful coach will devote himself to Real Madrid. He will succeed Carlo Ancelotti at the Royal Club after the end of the La Liga season. And that is to be taken quite literally. For the Spaniard, the move to Madrid is clearly a leap into the unknown.
Real reportedly left Xabi Alonso with no choice
Xabi Alonso will already be coaching Real at the Club World Cup in the US in mid-June, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano and Marca. According to these reports, the club did not give the Basque player the choice of whether to join Real immediately or only after the extremely lucrative tournament. A solution that had been considered in the meantime, with Santiago Solari, director of professional football at Real, as interim coach, has been definitively rejected by the club, according to reports.
This means that Xabi Alonso, who is said to have signed a three-year contract with Real Madrid, will have to start more or less immediately at his new club, with whom he won the Champions League, the Spanish league title and two national cups as a player, and deliver results straight away. The Club World Cup, which is being held on this scale for the first time, represents the world club’s last chance to win a title this season.
The Basque has little time to get Real back on track
After losing the Spanish Super Cup final and the Copa del Rey final to FC Barcelona, Real Madrid’s chances of winning the La Liga title are now only theoretical, trailing by seven points after Sunday’s 3-4 defeat to the Blaugrana. Real and Xabi Alonso must therefore deliver to somehow salvage this season.
For the Royals, it’s all about prestige in the US and, if successful, a three-digit million dollar payday. The winner will receive a total bonus of over 100 million euros. Xabi Alonso has little time to get a team that has not lived up to the expectations of a world-class club for weeks back to the highest level of competitiveness. In Spain, the season does not end until May 25.
And anyone who remembers how long it took the 43-year-old to stabilize a struggling top team in Leverkusen and later turn it into a championship team can imagine the challenge facing Xabi Alonso, who would certainly have preferred a softer start, including a full summer preparation. Welcome to Real, Xabi Alonso.
