Last week, Xabi Alonso announced that he is to retire at the end of the season following a storied career that saw him twice lift the Champions League in addition to winning one World Cup and two European Championships with the Spanish national team.
The 35-year-old could yet add to his trophy haul before his time as a player comes to a close, with Bayern Munich on course to secure the Bundesliga title and still alive in the Champions League and DFB Pokal.
Here are five matches that defined Xabi Alonso’s career.
#1 10 June 2001 - Athletic Club vs. Real Sociedad
When Josh Toshack took over at Real Sociedad early into 2001 he inherited a side who were at the bottom of the league and in real danger of going down.
Alonso was on loan at Eibar at the time but Toshack quickly recalled him, started to give him minutes and then handed him the captain’s armband despite the fact that Alonso was just 19 years old.
“Everyone seems to play better when he is on the pitch,” Toshack explained.
Alonso’s first minutes came as a substitute in a 0-2 home defeat to local rivals Athletic Club. By the time the reverse fixture came around on the penultimate match day he was a key part of a side who had given themselves a fighting chance of avoiding the drop with four wins and four draws in their previous 10 matches.
La Real came out of blocks at full speed. They had a goal wrongly disallowed and saw a well-struck effort from Alonso parried behind before taking the lead just past the half-hour mark through a superb strike from Edgaras Jankauskas. That was bettered just 10 minutes later when Javier de Pedro curled an astonishing free-kick into the top corner from long range.
Alonso was a steadying presence in midfield throughout, demonstrating leadership skills well beyond his tender years. Even a late second booking and the resulting red card couldn’t tar an excellent performance in a 3-1 victory that pushed his side towards safety.
#2 25 May 2005 - UEFA Champions League Final - Liverpool vs. Milan
Alonso joined Rafael Benitez’s Spanish revolution at Liverpool in the summer of 2004 and swiftly established himself as a key midfield operator despite missing three months of the campaign with a broken ankle.
He was particularly impressive during the club’s run to the Champions League final.
There Liverpool faced Carlo Ancelotti’s Milan. The Reds went in at the break 0-3 down following a disastrous first period but produced one of the competition’s most memorable comebacks to draw back to 3-3 in the second half before winning on penalties.
Alongside midfield partner Steven Gerrard, Alonso played a key role in the fightback. A half-time formation change gave the pair more freedom, and a combination of Alonso’s intelligent use of the ball and Gerrard’s driving runs saw Liverpool score three goals to level things up by the hour mark.
Alonso scored the third, striking home the rebound from his own saved penalty after Gerrard had been brought down inside the area.
“This is the best moment in my professional career,” Alonso said afterwards. “I am a European champion, and I cannot believe it.”
#3 21 April 2012 - Barcelona vs. Real Madrid
Real Madrid’s league title triumph in the 2011-2012 season under Jose Mourinho remains the last time they won La Liga. And the decisive blow was struck in April 2012, with a 2-1 win away to Barcelona in El Clasico.
Madrid had failed to beat Barcelona in normal time in any of their previous 14 encounters and were just a season removed from a humiliating 5-0 defeat at the Camp Nou.
But this was the match in which they took on Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering Barcelona toe-for-toe, with Alonso playing a key role in midfield. He kept close tabs on Lionel Messi and initiated Madrid’s counter-attacks with high-quality distribution from deep.
A 73rd-minute winner from Cristiano Ronaldo saw Madrid take the victory and the title.
“We controlled the match perfectly,” Alonso said afterwards. “It was a great performance, a fantastic result and I am very happy.”
#4 23 June 2012 - European Championship Quarter-Final - Spain vs. France
Alonso was part of the Spain squad who lifted the European Championship in 2008 but he only started one match. He was, though, a regular by the time the 2010 World Cup came around and played his part in Spain’s first ever success in that competition.
But it was two years later, at the European Championship in Poland and Ukraine that Alonso arguably played his finest football with the national team.
The quarter-final victory over France was particularly significant. Firstly, because it was the only time that Alonso ever scored a brace for Spain. Secondly, because it was his 100th cap for the national team in an international career that eventually spanned 11 years. And thirdly, it was Spain’s first-ever victory over France in a competitive fixture.
Spain went on to defeat Portugal on penalties in the final four before thrashing Italy 4-0 in the final to secure an unique treble of international honours. Alonso was named in the team of the tournament.
#5 30 August 2014 - Schalke 04 vs. Bayern Munich
Alonso was 32 when he joined Bayern Munich from Real Madrid right at the end of the 2014 summer transfer window and there were some who questioned whether he still had the ability to make a significant contribution in a top team.
Pep Guardiola was, however, very happy to have him on board and made it clear that he expected Alonso to play a key role: “We signed him to dominate the game. Once Xabi has the ball, he is the best player.”
And any doubts were swiftly put to bed by a strong performance on Alonso’s debut away to Schalke just a day after signing.
It was a match that showed he still had it. That given the right setup, his intelligence and passing range could still be very valuable qualities. Three years on, with a third consecutive Bundesliga title within reach and other silverware still on offer, it is clear that it was a transfer that worked out very well for both Alonso and Bayern.
