From the moment he hung up his illustrious, trophy-laden boots, you knew that the football world had not seen the last of Alonso.
Part of Spain’s famed golden generation, Alonso won it all for club and country. As well as two UEFA EURO titles and a World Cup, he would also lift the Champions League in 2005 and 2014, in addition to four league titles and six domestic cups with Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. Football CVs really don’t come much better.
Despite being a supreme technician on the pitch, though, it was his football brain that made it clear he was destined for a coaching career just as successful as his one on the pitch, and so it came as little surprise when he was named Real Madrid’s Under-14s coach a year after his retirement.
Alonso’s rise through the coaching ranks was nothing short of meteoric. After impressing at Real Sociedad’s B team, where he drew widespread attention for his tactical acumen he moved to Bayer Leverkusen as one of the most sought-after young managers in world football, where he would rewrite history in just his second season.
“After those three years, I was ready for ‘the next thing’ to happen and I was really cautious in trying to make the right choice,” Alonso explains. “Of the options that were given to me, I chose Leverkusen and it worked out better than I could’ve imagined. And the following choice is also going well, I’d say. We’re just getting started, but I’m happy with what’s happened.”
With Leverkusen Alonso would shatter records, winning the club’s first ever Bundesliga title in staggering fashion without losing a single game across the entire domestic campaign to send shockwaves throughout football. It was just his second season in charge of a senior team.
At the end of his third campaign, which culminated in a runners-up finish with Leverkusen, Alonso made the move that he had seemed fated for ever since his retirement, and returned to Real Madrid as their new head coach, following Carlo Ancelotti’s departure. It was a decision, he explains, that was surprisingly easy to make.
“Well, first you have to feel ready to take the step, because it’s a great responsibility, but the challenge is exciting with all the possibilities there are and with everything that comes with training players of such a level, playing every weekend, and every two weeks at the Bernabéu.
“Putting all of that together and combining it serves as a strong motivator. You feel passionate about it all, because it’s a very powerful challenge and this is just the beginning, but I’m very excited about it.”
Still in the infancy of his Real Madrid tenure, Alonso has begun the La Liga season flawlessly, guiding his side to three wins from three at the time of writing, having reached the semi-finals of the Club World Cup. It’s been an impressive start, to say the least, but few know better what it takes to put on the Real Madrid shirt.
“It demanded that I gave 100% every day, because you know that at Real Madrid, 90% is not enough and that there are really high demands,’ says Alonso of the lessons he learned playing for Los Blancos.
“This made me improve and perform at a high level for five years, fighting for everything. In the end, we managed to win what we set out to win, which was the Champions League. But you didn’t settle and say, ‘Ok, things are going well, I’m happy’. Instead, you said, ‘I have to continue at this level,’ and having that demand practically every week made me grow.”
And it hasn’t taken long for that work ethic to become abundantly clear to his new charges. “We’ve only worked with him for a very short time, but that’s been enough to see his intensity, to see the way he goes about football every day, in training – he’s always participating actively, helping out a lot,’ says Real Madrid winger Rodrygo of his new coach.
“That makes all the difference for us players, and I really think that ‘intensity’ is the key word to describe him, his play style… to keep possession, to always attack with intensity.”
That intensity and level of focus is clear from the way Alonso speaks about his new role. “Knowing how to make the right decisions when you're on the pitch is the most important thing as a player,” he says. “Now, I’m in another role – in the office, preparing the team – but the work is the same. I have to make a lot of decisions, and the fewer I get wrong, the better my work will be.”
From the moment he hung up his illustrious, trophy-laden boots, you knew that the football world had not seen the last of Alonso.
Part of Spain’s famed golden generation, Alonso won it all for club and country. As well as two UEFA EURO titles and a World Cup, he would also lift the Champions League in 2005 and 2014, in addition to four league titles and six domestic cups with Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. Football CVs really don’t come much better.
Despite being a supreme technician on the pitch, though, it was his football brain that made it clear he was destined for a coaching career just as successful as his one on the pitch, and so it came as little surprise when he was named Real Madrid’s Under-14s coach a year after his retirement.
Alonso’s rise through the coaching ranks was nothing short of meteoric. After impressing at Real Sociedad’s B team, where he drew widespread attention for his tactical acumen he moved to Bayer Leverkusen as one of the most sought-after young managers in world football, where he would rewrite history in just his second season.
“After those three years, I was ready for ‘the next thing’ to happen and I was really cautious in trying to make the right choice,” Alonso explains. “Of the options that were given to me, I chose Leverkusen and it worked out better than I could’ve imagined. And the following choice is also going well, I’d say. We’re just getting started, but I’m happy with what’s happened.”
With Leverkusen Alonso would shatter records, winning the club’s first ever Bundesliga title in staggering fashion without losing a single game across the entire domestic campaign to send shockwaves throughout football. It was just his second season in charge of a senior team.
At the end of his third campaign, which culminated in a runners-up finish with Leverkusen, Alonso made the move that he had seemed fated for ever since his retirement, and returned to Real Madrid as their new head coach, following Carlo Ancelotti’s departure. It was a decision, he explains, that was surprisingly easy to make.
“Well, first you have to feel ready to take the step, because it’s a great responsibility, but the challenge is exciting with all the possibilities there are and with everything that comes with training players of such a level, playing every weekend, and every two weeks at the Bernabéu.
“Putting all of that together and combining it serves as a strong motivator. You feel passionate about it all, because it’s a very powerful challenge and this is just the beginning, but I’m very excited about it.”
Still in the infancy of his Real Madrid tenure, Alonso has begun the La Liga season flawlessly, guiding his side to three wins from three at the time of writing, having reached the semi-finals of the Club World Cup. It’s been an impressive start, to say the least, but few know better what it takes to put on the Real Madrid shirt.
“It demanded that I gave 100% every day, because you know that at Real Madrid, 90% is not enough and that there are really high demands,’ says Alonso of the lessons he learned playing for Los Blancos.
“This made me improve and perform at a high level for five years, fighting for everything. In the end, we managed to win what we set out to win, which was the Champions League. But you didn’t settle and say, ‘Ok, things are going well, I’m happy’. Instead, you said, ‘I have to continue at this level,’ and having that demand practically every week made me grow.”
And it hasn’t taken long for that work ethic to become abundantly clear to his new charges. “We’ve only worked with him for a very short time, but that’s been enough to see his intensity, to see the way he goes about football every day, in training – he’s always participating actively, helping out a lot,’ says Real Madrid winger Rodrygo of his new coach.
“That makes all the difference for us players, and I really think that ‘intensity’ is the key word to describe him, his play style… to keep possession, to always attack with intensity.”
That intensity and level of focus is clear from the way Alonso speaks about his new role. “Knowing how to make the right decisions when you're on the pitch is the most important thing as a player,” he says. “Now, I’m in another role – in the office, preparing the team – but the work is the same. I have to make a lot of decisions, and the fewer I get wrong, the better my work will be.”
From the moment he hung up his illustrious, trophy-laden boots, you knew that the football world had not seen the last of Alonso.
Part of Spain’s famed golden generation, Alonso won it all for club and country. As well as two UEFA EURO titles and a World Cup, he would also lift the Champions League in 2005 and 2014, in addition to four league titles and six domestic cups with Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. Football CVs really don’t come much better.
Despite being a supreme technician on the pitch, though, it was his football brain that made it clear he was destined for a coaching career just as successful as his one on the pitch, and so it came as little surprise when he was named Real Madrid’s Under-14s coach a year after his retirement.
Alonso’s rise through the coaching ranks was nothing short of meteoric. After impressing at Real Sociedad’s B team, where he drew widespread attention for his tactical acumen he moved to Bayer Leverkusen as one of the most sought-after young managers in world football, where he would rewrite history in just his second season.
“After those three years, I was ready for ‘the next thing’ to happen and I was really cautious in trying to make the right choice,” Alonso explains. “Of the options that were given to me, I chose Leverkusen and it worked out better than I could’ve imagined. And the following choice is also going well, I’d say. We’re just getting started, but I’m happy with what’s happened.”
With Leverkusen Alonso would shatter records, winning the club’s first ever Bundesliga title in staggering fashion without losing a single game across the entire domestic campaign to send shockwaves throughout football. It was just his second season in charge of a senior team.
At the end of his third campaign, which culminated in a runners-up finish with Leverkusen, Alonso made the move that he had seemed fated for ever since his retirement, and returned to Real Madrid as their new head coach, following Carlo Ancelotti’s departure. It was a decision, he explains, that was surprisingly easy to make.
“Well, first you have to feel ready to take the step, because it’s a great responsibility, but the challenge is exciting with all the possibilities there are and with everything that comes with training players of such a level, playing every weekend, and every two weeks at the Bernabéu.
“Putting all of that together and combining it serves as a strong motivator. You feel passionate about it all, because it’s a very powerful challenge and this is just the beginning, but I’m very excited about it.”
Still in the infancy of his Real Madrid tenure, Alonso has begun the La Liga season flawlessly, guiding his side to three wins from three at the time of writing, having reached the semi-finals of the Club World Cup. It’s been an impressive start, to say the least, but few know better what it takes to put on the Real Madrid shirt.
“It demanded that I gave 100% every day, because you know that at Real Madrid, 90% is not enough and that there are really high demands,’ says Alonso of the lessons he learned playing for Los Blancos.
“This made me improve and perform at a high level for five years, fighting for everything. In the end, we managed to win what we set out to win, which was the Champions League. But you didn’t settle and say, ‘Ok, things are going well, I’m happy’. Instead, you said, ‘I have to continue at this level,’ and having that demand practically every week made me grow.”
And it hasn’t taken long for that work ethic to become abundantly clear to his new charges. “We’ve only worked with him for a very short time, but that’s been enough to see his intensity, to see the way he goes about football every day, in training – he’s always participating actively, helping out a lot,’ says Real Madrid winger Rodrygo of his new coach.
“That makes all the difference for us players, and I really think that ‘intensity’ is the key word to describe him, his play style… to keep possession, to always attack with intensity.”
That intensity and level of focus is clear from the way Alonso speaks about his new role. “Knowing how to make the right decisions when you're on the pitch is the most important thing as a player,” he says. “Now, I’m in another role – in the office, preparing the team – but the work is the same. I have to make a lot of decisions, and the fewer I get wrong, the better my work will be.”
From the moment he hung up his illustrious, trophy-laden boots, you knew that the football world had not seen the last of Alonso.
Part of Spain’s famed golden generation, Alonso won it all for club and country. As well as two UEFA EURO titles and a World Cup, he would also lift the Champions League in 2005 and 2014, in addition to four league titles and six domestic cups with Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. Football CVs really don’t come much better.
Despite being a supreme technician on the pitch, though, it was his football brain that made it clear he was destined for a coaching career just as successful as his one on the pitch, and so it came as little surprise when he was named Real Madrid’s Under-14s coach a year after his retirement.
Alonso’s rise through the coaching ranks was nothing short of meteoric. After impressing at Real Sociedad’s B team, where he drew widespread attention for his tactical acumen he moved to Bayer Leverkusen as one of the most sought-after young managers in world football, where he would rewrite history in just his second season.
“After those three years, I was ready for ‘the next thing’ to happen and I was really cautious in trying to make the right choice,” Alonso explains. “Of the options that were given to me, I chose Leverkusen and it worked out better than I could’ve imagined. And the following choice is also going well, I’d say. We’re just getting started, but I’m happy with what’s happened.”
With Leverkusen Alonso would shatter records, winning the club’s first ever Bundesliga title in staggering fashion without losing a single game across the entire domestic campaign to send shockwaves throughout football. It was just his second season in charge of a senior team.
At the end of his third campaign, which culminated in a runners-up finish with Leverkusen, Alonso made the move that he had seemed fated for ever since his retirement, and returned to Real Madrid as their new head coach, following Carlo Ancelotti’s departure. It was a decision, he explains, that was surprisingly easy to make.
“Well, first you have to feel ready to take the step, because it’s a great responsibility, but the challenge is exciting with all the possibilities there are and with everything that comes with training players of such a level, playing every weekend, and every two weeks at the Bernabéu.
“Putting all of that together and combining it serves as a strong motivator. You feel passionate about it all, because it’s a very powerful challenge and this is just the beginning, but I’m very excited about it.”
Still in the infancy of his Real Madrid tenure, Alonso has begun the La Liga season flawlessly, guiding his side to three wins from three at the time of writing, having reached the semi-finals of the Club World Cup. It’s been an impressive start, to say the least, but few know better what it takes to put on the Real Madrid shirt.
“It demanded that I gave 100% every day, because you know that at Real Madrid, 90% is not enough and that there are really high demands,’ says Alonso of the lessons he learned playing for Los Blancos.
“This made me improve and perform at a high level for five years, fighting for everything. In the end, we managed to win what we set out to win, which was the Champions League. But you didn’t settle and say, ‘Ok, things are going well, I’m happy’. Instead, you said, ‘I have to continue at this level,’ and having that demand practically every week made me grow.”
And it hasn’t taken long for that work ethic to become abundantly clear to his new charges. “We’ve only worked with him for a very short time, but that’s been enough to see his intensity, to see the way he goes about football every day, in training – he’s always participating actively, helping out a lot,’ says Real Madrid winger Rodrygo of his new coach.
“That makes all the difference for us players, and I really think that ‘intensity’ is the key word to describe him, his play style… to keep possession, to always attack with intensity.”
That intensity and level of focus is clear from the way Alonso speaks about his new role. “Knowing how to make the right decisions when you're on the pitch is the most important thing as a player,” he says. “Now, I’m in another role – in the office, preparing the team – but the work is the same. I have to make a lot of decisions, and the fewer I get wrong, the better my work will be.”
From the moment he hung up his illustrious, trophy-laden boots, you knew that the football world had not seen the last of Alonso.
Part of Spain’s famed golden generation, Alonso won it all for club and country. As well as two UEFA EURO titles and a World Cup, he would also lift the Champions League in 2005 and 2014, in addition to four league titles and six domestic cups with Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. Football CVs really don’t come much better.
Despite being a supreme technician on the pitch, though, it was his football brain that made it clear he was destined for a coaching career just as successful as his one on the pitch, and so it came as little surprise when he was named Real Madrid’s Under-14s coach a year after his retirement.
Alonso’s rise through the coaching ranks was nothing short of meteoric. After impressing at Real Sociedad’s B team, where he drew widespread attention for his tactical acumen he moved to Bayer Leverkusen as one of the most sought-after young managers in world football, where he would rewrite history in just his second season.
“After those three years, I was ready for ‘the next thing’ to happen and I was really cautious in trying to make the right choice,” Alonso explains. “Of the options that were given to me, I chose Leverkusen and it worked out better than I could’ve imagined. And the following choice is also going well, I’d say. We’re just getting started, but I’m happy with what’s happened.”
With Leverkusen Alonso would shatter records, winning the club’s first ever Bundesliga title in staggering fashion without losing a single game across the entire domestic campaign to send shockwaves throughout football. It was just his second season in charge of a senior team.
At the end of his third campaign, which culminated in a runners-up finish with Leverkusen, Alonso made the move that he had seemed fated for ever since his retirement, and returned to Real Madrid as their new head coach, following Carlo Ancelotti’s departure. It was a decision, he explains, that was surprisingly easy to make.
“Well, first you have to feel ready to take the step, because it’s a great responsibility, but the challenge is exciting with all the possibilities there are and with everything that comes with training players of such a level, playing every weekend, and every two weeks at the Bernabéu.
“Putting all of that together and combining it serves as a strong motivator. You feel passionate about it all, because it’s a very powerful challenge and this is just the beginning, but I’m very excited about it.”
Still in the infancy of his Real Madrid tenure, Alonso has begun the La Liga season flawlessly, guiding his side to three wins from three at the time of writing, having reached the semi-finals of the Club World Cup. It’s been an impressive start, to say the least, but few know better what it takes to put on the Real Madrid shirt.
“It demanded that I gave 100% every day, because you know that at Real Madrid, 90% is not enough and that there are really high demands,’ says Alonso of the lessons he learned playing for Los Blancos.
“This made me improve and perform at a high level for five years, fighting for everything. In the end, we managed to win what we set out to win, which was the Champions League. But you didn’t settle and say, ‘Ok, things are going well, I’m happy’. Instead, you said, ‘I have to continue at this level,’ and having that demand practically every week made me grow.”
And it hasn’t taken long for that work ethic to become abundantly clear to his new charges. “We’ve only worked with him for a very short time, but that’s been enough to see his intensity, to see the way he goes about football every day, in training – he’s always participating actively, helping out a lot,’ says Real Madrid winger Rodrygo of his new coach.
“That makes all the difference for us players, and I really think that ‘intensity’ is the key word to describe him, his play style… to keep possession, to always attack with intensity.”
That intensity and level of focus is clear from the way Alonso speaks about his new role. “Knowing how to make the right decisions when you're on the pitch is the most important thing as a player,” he says. “Now, I’m in another role – in the office, preparing the team – but the work is the same. I have to make a lot of decisions, and the fewer I get wrong, the better my work will be.”
From the moment he hung up his illustrious, trophy-laden boots, you knew that the football world had not seen the last of Alonso.
Part of Spain’s famed golden generation, Alonso won it all for club and country. As well as two UEFA EURO titles and a World Cup, he would also lift the Champions League in 2005 and 2014, in addition to four league titles and six domestic cups with Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. Football CVs really don’t come much better.
Despite being a supreme technician on the pitch, though, it was his football brain that made it clear he was destined for a coaching career just as successful as his one on the pitch, and so it came as little surprise when he was named Real Madrid’s Under-14s coach a year after his retirement.
Alonso’s rise through the coaching ranks was nothing short of meteoric. After impressing at Real Sociedad’s B team, where he drew widespread attention for his tactical acumen he moved to Bayer Leverkusen as one of the most sought-after young managers in world football, where he would rewrite history in just his second season.
“After those three years, I was ready for ‘the next thing’ to happen and I was really cautious in trying to make the right choice,” Alonso explains. “Of the options that were given to me, I chose Leverkusen and it worked out better than I could’ve imagined. And the following choice is also going well, I’d say. We’re just getting started, but I’m happy with what’s happened.”
With Leverkusen Alonso would shatter records, winning the club’s first ever Bundesliga title in staggering fashion without losing a single game across the entire domestic campaign to send shockwaves throughout football. It was just his second season in charge of a senior team.
At the end of his third campaign, which culminated in a runners-up finish with Leverkusen, Alonso made the move that he had seemed fated for ever since his retirement, and returned to Real Madrid as their new head coach, following Carlo Ancelotti’s departure. It was a decision, he explains, that was surprisingly easy to make.
“Well, first you have to feel ready to take the step, because it’s a great responsibility, but the challenge is exciting with all the possibilities there are and with everything that comes with training players of such a level, playing every weekend, and every two weeks at the Bernabéu.
“Putting all of that together and combining it serves as a strong motivator. You feel passionate about it all, because it’s a very powerful challenge and this is just the beginning, but I’m very excited about it.”
Still in the infancy of his Real Madrid tenure, Alonso has begun the La Liga season flawlessly, guiding his side to three wins from three at the time of writing, having reached the semi-finals of the Club World Cup. It’s been an impressive start, to say the least, but few know better what it takes to put on the Real Madrid shirt.
“It demanded that I gave 100% every day, because you know that at Real Madrid, 90% is not enough and that there are really high demands,’ says Alonso of the lessons he learned playing for Los Blancos.
“This made me improve and perform at a high level for five years, fighting for everything. In the end, we managed to win what we set out to win, which was the Champions League. But you didn’t settle and say, ‘Ok, things are going well, I’m happy’. Instead, you said, ‘I have to continue at this level,’ and having that demand practically every week made me grow.”
And it hasn’t taken long for that work ethic to become abundantly clear to his new charges. “We’ve only worked with him for a very short time, but that’s been enough to see his intensity, to see the way he goes about football every day, in training – he’s always participating actively, helping out a lot,’ says Real Madrid winger Rodrygo of his new coach.
“That makes all the difference for us players, and I really think that ‘intensity’ is the key word to describe him, his play style… to keep possession, to always attack with intensity.”
That intensity and level of focus is clear from the way Alonso speaks about his new role. “Knowing how to make the right decisions when you're on the pitch is the most important thing as a player,” he says. “Now, I’m in another role – in the office, preparing the team – but the work is the same. I have to make a lot of decisions, and the fewer I get wrong, the better my work will be.”
