Spaniard believes Real Madrid can become an “unstoppable force” under his watch
Xabi Alonso has said that Real Madrid are “starting a new era” following his official unveiling as the club’s new head coach on Monday. The Spaniard makes a return to the club where he spent six influential years as a player, proving himself as one of the best midfielders of his generation.
In his inaugural press conference, Alonso paid tribute to his predecessor, Carlo Ancelotti.
“Before talking about the new stage, I don’t want to forget to talk about the stage that has just ended,” said Alonso. “I’m taking over from Carlo Ancelotti, a coach who left his mark on me, and probably without his mastery and the learning I received from him I wouldn’t be here.
“I take up the legacy with great honour and pride and I hope to be able to live up to expectations and take the club to all the places we want to go.”
The 43-year-old arrives at the Santiago Bernabeu after an illustrious tenure at Bayer Leverkusen, where he led the team to an unprecedented unbeaten Bundesliga title in 2024, breaking Bayern Munich’s 11-year grip on it. He also won the DFB-Pokal with the club.
Speaking about the outlook for his new club, Alonso said: “We’re starting a new era because I feel the club and the fans are united. We have fantastic players who have a very good present and a very bright future. We’re here with the conviction of doing great things. To ignite the fans and make them enjoy themselves. If we manage to ignite that, we’ll be an unstoppable force.”
Real Madrid concluded the 2024/25 season without major domestic trophies, finishing second in La Liga and as runners-up in both the Copa del Rey and Supercopa de España. They also exited the Champions League at the quarter-final stage, losing home and away to Arsenal, including a 3-0 defeat at the Emirates Stadium. Madrid expect Alonso to rejuvenate the squad and get it back to winning the biggest trophies.
The new manager inherits a team rich in talent, including highly rated attackers Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior. Discussing their potential, the Spaniard said: “It’s fortunate that we have players of that level. Not just Kylian or Vinicius, but many others.
“They are differential. They make the difference and we have to get everything out of them. I have ideas. There is still time until we meet with them. But for me it’s very important to communicate what we want. They are high-level players and that’s my task.”
