Xabi Alonso Biography
Having a colorful professional background, Xabi Alonso is considered to be a popular individual almost for every football fan worldwide. Here we provide you Xabi Alonso Biography.
The golden generation of the Spanish football contains players who are so popular among a majority of football fans worldwide. One of these great players is Xabi Alonso. Being considered as a kind guy, Alonso was used to catch everyone’s eye while playing on the pitch. He is one of Real Madrid players who has been never hated by rival fans in Barcelona. Xabi Alonso managed to win almost every important trophies during his prolific career. He was one of the key players of the 2010 World Cup winner Spain team, and also he made the best possible memories for the fans of all four clubs he played in. As he is a great and popular man,
Xabi Alonso biography
will be something amazing and special to you. Stay tuned, and read this article to review some particular points of Xabi Alonso life story.
All You Need to Know About Xabi Alonso Bio
Xabi Alonso nationality
is Spanish. He was born in a family which had a previously-started relationship with football. He played alongside his friend, Mikel Arteta at youth level, but their path got separated. He started his professional career at Real Sociedad, the club in which his father had played and made history. After making his mark at Sociedad, he went to Anfield and spent a memorable stint at Liverpool.
At real Madrid and Bayern Munich, he resumed to be a key player and being admired for his abilities. His personality was also something loved by other people, including fans, teammates, and coaches. Xabi Alonso biography has interesting details which we have gathered for you down below. Stay tuned.
Xabi Alonso Information
As the first item on our article of Xabi Alonso biography, let's see who he is in brief.
Xabi Alonso Bio
Full Name: Xabier Alonso Olano
Nickname: La Barba Roja (in English: The red beard)
Profession: Professional Football manager
Xabi Alonso Physical Stats
Weight: 79 Kilograms
Height: 1.83 Meters
Eye Color: Hazel
Hair Color: Light Brown
Xabi Alonso Football Information
Position: Midfielder (Defensive – Central)
Jersey Number: 14
Professional Debut: 1999
Xabi Alonso Date of Birth and Personal Info
Date of Birth: 25 November 1981
Birth Place: Tolosa, Spain
Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius
Nationality: Spanish
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Xabi Alonso was born in North of Spain. In detail, his place of birth is in Tolosa, a town in Gipuzkoa, which is one of three provinces in the Basque Country. Xabi’s father, Periko Alonso, was a three-time La Liga winner and also a national team player. The first six years of
Xabi Alonso childhood
was spent in the city of Barcelona and then, moved to San Sebastián (Donostia). In the Basque Country, Alonso made friends with Mikel Arteta. Xabi and his older brother, Mikel, frequently were brought to CE Sabadell's training ground by their father.
Xabi describes those days: “They'd train in one goal on Saturday mornings and we'd be kicking balls at the other end. I was five or six and soon realized this was not normal; other kids couldn't do that. As we got older, I enjoyed seeing him pass the ball, and we practiced passing a lot. I guess that's where we learned to be midfielders. When we got older he realized we enjoyed football, but he was never on top of us telling us what to do. I never felt pressure from him.”
Xabi Alonso went to the Irish town of Kells, County Meath at 15, on a school program to learn English.
Alonso’s performance at Antiguoko youth team grabbed the attention of some great Spanish sides and finally he joined
Real Sociedadalongside his older brother, Mikel.
Xabi Alonso Profile
Xabi Alonso started his career at Real Sociedad B team in 1999. He was impressing enough to progress through the youth academy of Real Sociedad and earn his first team debut at the age of 18. He made his first competitive Real Sociedad match in December 1999, against Logroñés in Copa del Rey. At the beginning of the 2000–01 season, coach Javier Clemente sent him to Segunda División side Eibar to gain experience. This was kind of move through which Xabi’s father believed his son would improve.
In 2001, one of the most special parts of
Xabi Alonso life story
and his career was formed. In winter, Real Sociedad were bottom of the league and their new manager, John Toshack, brought Xabi Alonso back from loan, in the hope of preventing the team from relegation. Toshack made the 20-year-old Xabi Alonso the team captain, a surprising decision to everyone, as the position previously had been held by more senior players. By the end of the season, Sociedad had climbed out of the relegation zone and finished in La Liga in 14th place. Toshack aplauded Alonso, noting that his impression on the team was outstanding, especially by considering his age and experience.
Next season, La Liga saw the youngster paly consistently for his team and also register to score his first goals in the competition.
The 2002–03 season was the club's best league performance since their championship in 1981–82. Real Sociedad finished second in the league, just two points behind the champion Real Madrid. This performance led to a club record for the highest ever points in a single season of La Liga. Moreover, they were qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in the club’s history.
Alonso was given the Best Spanish Player award by Spanish sports magazine Don Balón at the end of the season. After this prolific season, Iñaki Sáez, then coach of the Spanish national team, called Xabi up for La Selección. Alonso made his international debut in April 2003 in a 4–0 friendly win over Ecuador. Sáez praised his quality, saying, “He has a fantastic range of accurate passing [and] sees football with an extraordinary clarity.”
The 2003-04 season was spent in a way that Xabi Alonso decided to leave his favored club and make a move. He continued his great performances but the results were disappointing. Finally, he moved to
Liverpoolthrough a deal worth £10.7 million, so that he found the opportunity of working under the supervision of countryman Rafael Benitez. He made his Premier League debut in August 2004, and the repeated story was him being praised by almost everyone because of passing skills shown on the pitch.
Xabi Alonso settled well in Liverpool and the competitive English football. There could not be a better end for his first season at Liverpool, as Xabi Alonso’s side won arguably the most dramatic UCL Final ever in Istanbul, as they unbelievably completed a comeback after conceding three goals against AC Milan.
The next season saw Xabi Alonso winning his first domestic trophy, as he earned the FA Cup winner’s medal by on the day of defeating West Ham United on penalty shoot-outs.
The next three seasons of Xabi Alonso’s spell at Liverpool did not give him a trophy, but he gained more and more experience and became a versatile midfielder over the years. He also collected a UEFA Champions League silver medal in 2006-07, losing the final game to AC Milan.
In August 2009, Xabi Alonso completed a £30 million move to Spanish giants,
Real Madrid. Los Blancos had been tried to sign Xabi when he was a Sociedad player; however, he preferred to join Liverpool at that time.
Being known as a valuable player, Alonso booked his place in the team line-up and became a key part of Manuel Pellegrini’s tactics. In La Liga, Real Madrid finished with a club-record 96 points, but three points behind winners Barcelona. It was the third time in Alonso's career that he helped his team set a new point record, while finishing in second position. Xabi had experienced the similar thing previously with Real Sociedad in 2002–03 and with Liverpool in 2008–09.
The second season of Xabi Alonso at Santiago Bernabeu finished with just winning a Copa del Rey trophy. Ultimately, in the 2011-12 season, Xabi succeeded to win his career’s first league title. During this season, Alonso played his 100th official game for Real Madrid. His last season at Real Madrid saw him a trophy like the one he achieved in the first season at Liverpool; Yes. A UEFA Champions League title. Although Xabi was an absentee in the final game against Atletico Madrid, he celebrated the championship after the dramatic 4-1 victory.
In spite of having signed a contract extension until 2016, Xabi Alonso left Real Madrid after the end of 2013-14 season. He moved to
Bayern Munich, where winning domestic tournaments were more accessible than his previous clubs. However, Xabi did not manage to win any international trophy with the German giants.
In 2014, in the match against 1. FC Köln, Alonso broke a record in the Bundesliga history. He registered most passes completed in a Bundesliga game, with 196. On 17 February 2015, Xabi played his 100th Champions League match against Shakhtar Donetsk.
In 2017, the colorful career of Xabi Alonso came to an end. He confirmed via Twitter that he would retire from the game at the end of the 2016–17 season.
On 20 May 2017, Alonso and Bayern captain Philipp Lahm played their final professional game against Freiburg in which he assisted the opening goal for Arjen Robben. It was his 79th match in the German top-flight in Bayern Munich shirt.
At international level, Xabi Alonso began in April 2003 in a friendly win over Ecuador. Then on, he earned 114 international caps, including the ones in major tournaments like European Championship and FIFA World Cup.
Since Xabi Alonso has not separated ways with football, his profile has been converted from player to manager. He has completed the UEFA elite coaching courses and started his managerial era at Real Madrid U 14 team. In July 2019, Alonso began serving as the manager of Segunda División B club, Real Sociedad B.
Style of Play
Xabi Alonso was capable of doing both attacking and defensive tasks in the best way. One of the properties of Xabi Alonso’s playing style was his long-range passes, by which he would be able to feature as a playmaker. As Xabi, himself, had revealed, his father had been training him in childhood how to pass precisely. Some factors like height and physical characteristics helped Xabi Alonso perform effectively in aerial duels. Xabi had massive shots and was also a trusted set-piece and penalty kick taker.
Furthermore, he was capable of featuring as a defensive midfielder due to his strength and powerful physique, tenacity, and aggressive tackling and also because he was tactically intelligent and was considered to be a good reader of the game.
Reception
Xabi Alonso is known as a quiet, kind, and cool person in his life. As a player, a fact all football pundits approve, is that Xabi Alonso was a complete, versatile midfielder.
Pepe Reina, his compatriot and former teammate at Liverpool once said about him: “He is a quiet person and a lovely guy; a good teammate. I don't need to talk about him as a player - people know how good he is.”
Another remembered moment from Xabi Alonso was the reception he got from Real Madrid players when he faced them with Bayern. That kind of response Xabi caused in Real Madrid players showed his character.
Steven Gerrard, his teammate and captain at Liverpool left an emotional message for Xabi Alonso after the Spaniard retirement from football. The message was all about class and respect: “I just want to say a huge congratulation on your retirement. What a special career, a fantastic player. For me, probably the most enjoyable partner throughout my career as a midfielder. The best passer of a ball I’ve ever played with and you deserve all the accolades you get, mate. What a special career for club and country. I’m very jealous of you having a World Cup winner’s medal, I’m very jealous of you having league titles in Germany and Spain, but you deserve it mate.”
Goal Celebration
As he was basically a calm guy, Xabi Alonso’s goal celebrations were also indicating his spirit and personality. However, an image of celebrating with bringing one hand up is something to remember from some of Xabi Alonso’s important career goals.
Xabi Alonso Outside Football
One of the interesting in points of
Xabi Alonso biography
is his political criticism while playing in the English Premier League. In 2009, he criticised then-Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Gordon Brown's economic policy, in particular the devalued pound sterling and the 50% tax rate. At that time, Alonso warned that the mentioned policy has weakened English football and this will not be a surprise if top players choose to play away from the UK.
Xabi Alonso Personal Life
Alonso was introduced as a quiet and friendly person by his former teammates at Liverpool. He never smokes cigarette and does not have any tattoos on his athletic body. Currently, he has an Audi car.
Xabi Alonso religion
is Roman Catholic. Xabi Alonso endorses clothing brands like Hugo Boss, and wears brands like Emilio Tucci. He also uses Ralph Lauren, while making commercials for Prada.
This guy is a Meath Gaelic football supporter. His interest in the Irish sport belongs to the age of 15 when he went to the Irish town of Kells with his family, in order to learn English.
Xabi Alonso’s emotional relation with Liverpool club is a long life thing. He has declared himself a Liverpool supporter almost every time, even while playing for other European giants. He returns to watch games at Anfield whenever it is possible for him. He was quoted in The Times Online in 2011 as saying, “I am still a Liverpool fan and will be forever, absolutely”. Xabi also emphasized that he will train his Liverpool-born son as a Red supporter.
Family, Children and Relationships
Xabi Alonso Olano was born in Tolosa, Gipuzkoa, Basque Country, to Periko Alonso and Isabel Olano, who are respectively his father and mother. Xabi has two siblings. His brothers’ names are Mikel and Jon. His father was a famous football player who had won La Liga trophy three times, with Real Sociedad and Barcelona. Additionally, both of his brothers are involved in football. Mikel was also a professional football player, and Jon works as a referee.
Xabi is married to Nagore Aranburu since 2009 and they have three children: a son named Jontxu, and two daughters named Ane and Emma. Xabi Alonso’s wife is 45 years old, five years older than Xabi. She is an actress and writer, known for Flowers (2014), Caronte (2020) and Official Competition (2021).
Philanthropy
Xabi Alonso participates in special matches named Corazón Classic Match, which are organized by the Real Madrid Foundation for charity. Alonso after making his first experience in such matches said: “I’m very happy to return to the Santiago Bernabéu with this great turn out from the fans and with these amazing teammates. Many parents come to this match with their children to show them who were their idols, the Real Madrid Foundation does a spectacular job throughout the year, it helps a lot of people and deserves our admiration, respect and collaboration”.
Xabi also appears in similar charity matches as member of the Liverpool FC’s All Star team.
Legal Issues
Like some other football stars in Spain, Xabi Alonso got into a tax-related trouble in his home country. The former Spain international could face up to a five-year prison sentence and a €4 million fine if convicted for tax fraud in Spain. This case was belonged to the period of 2010 to 2012 while Xabi Alonso was playing at Real Madrid. This was a problem as same as the one happened to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo with higher amounts of fine.
Xabi Alonso Career Statistics
Now in this part of Xabi Alonso biography, we will go over his career statistics, both at club and international level.
Club
In his first ever club, Xabi Alonso made 124 appearances in all competitions for Real Sociedad and scored ten goals during his five-season spell there. At Eibar, he played just 14 matches in Segunda División and did not register goals.
At his glorious Liverpool era, Xabi Alonso made 210 appearances and scored 19 goals, his best goal scoring tally in a single club. Then, he moved to Real Madrid and managed to play 236 competitive matches, which is his most appearances for a club during his career. Xabi scored only six goals in five full seasons at Santiago Bernabeu. And finally, at Bayern Munich, he played a total of 117 matches in three seasons. Xabi scored nine goals for the club, three of them in European competitions. He had previously scored three European goals in his entire career.
We should also mention the managerial career statistics of Xabi Alonso, as he is the current head coach of the Segunda División B club Real Sociedad B. Under his guidance, the team has earned 40.54 percent of winning, 15 wins out of 37 matches.
International
In twelve years of being an international player, Xabi Alonso played a total number of 114 international caps. During this period, he scored 16 goals for the Spain national team. His first and last international goals were scored in two editions of FIFA World Cup, the former in 2006 against Ukraine and the latter in 2014 against Netherlands.
Xabi Alonso Honors
During his professional career, Xabi Alonso gained plenty of achievements, both at club and international level. At Liverpool, he won a 2005-06 FA Cup and a 2006 FA Community Shield out of possible domestic trophies. Moreover, a UEFA Champions League in 2004-05 season and the following UEFA Super Cup winning were his most remarkable victories in the Liverpool shirt.
At Real Madrid, Alonso achieved a La Liga title in 2011-12 season. He also won two editions of Copa del Rey and the 2012 Supercopa de España. Xabi Alonso’s second UCL triumph came in his Real Madrid era, as he won the trophy in the 2013-14 season with Los Blancos.
And finally in Munich, he won as many Bundesliga titles as possible. Alongside three league trophies, Xabi Alonso won each of the DFB-Pokal and the DFL-Supercup once.
Xabi Alonso’s honors are not limited to the club level. As member of the Spanish football’s golden generation, Xabi Alonso won two consecutive European Championship trophies in 2008 and 2012, as well as a FIFA World Cup in 2010.
In case of individual honors, Xabi Alonso was named among FIFA FIFPro World XI in 2011 and 2012. He was selected in the 2013-14 UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season and the 2014-15 Bundesliga Team of the Season. The 2003 Spanish Player of the Year and the 2011-12 La Liga Best Midfielder were his other major individual awards.
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Xabi Alonso biography
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