Despite being under contract until the summer of 2026, Alonso bid farewell to Bayer Leverkusen at the end of the 2024–25 season to return to the Spanish capital. The 43-year-old is the new manager of Real Madrid, replacing the winningest manager in club history, Carlo Ancelotti.

The 65-year-old Ancelotti is departing after four mostly successful seasons with Madrid. He bid a tearful farewell on Saturday in the team’s final match of the Spanish league season. Ancelotti’s contract was to end at the end of next season, but the club confirmed his departure on Friday after he had already been announced as the next Brazil coach.

When Xabi Alonso spurned his former club Liverpool last summer to remain at Bayer Leverkusen, it seemed he might have passed up an opportunity that was too good to ignore. However, even as Arne Slot has led Liverpool to the Premier League title,