9 hours ago
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ESPN
May 9, 2025, 08:01 AM ET
Xabi Alonso has confirmed he is leaving Bayer Leverkusen at the end of the season, with the Spanish coach expected to join Real Madrid.
Alonso, who steered Leverkusen to a historic undefeated Bundesliga campaign in 2023-24 on the way to a domestic double, will leave the German club after three years.
He announced his departure in a news conference on Friday, with Sunday's clash against Borussia Dortmund to be his last in front of his home fans.
"This week, the club and I have agreed that these last two games are going to be my last as Leverkusen coach," Alonso, 43, said. "Now is the right moment to announce it.
"We want to have a proper farewell on Sunday. This morning, I have talked with players and staff. For sure it is a moment with mixed emotions.
"I have to be thankful for everyone -- from the fans, the people in the club and for sure the players. We can be happy and we can be proud of what we have achieved. We are taking the club in the right direction.
"Why did I decide to leave? It's about moments in football. Sometimes to choose the right one is the most difficult decision. Time will tell, but I feel it has worked pretty well. We have always had a very good communication with the club, it has been one of the reasons why last year I decided I want to stay. That has not changed this year, but the momentum is maybe different."
Alonso also said it was "not time to talk about the future," but the former Madrid midfielder is set to take over from Carlo Ancelotti at the Bernabéu.
Ancelotti, despite two LaLiga titles and two Champions Leagues in his second spell with the club, has endured a disappointing 2024-25 campaign. Madrid have been eliminated from the Champions League and Copa del Rey, and look likely to miss out on the league title to Barcelona.
ESPN has reported that Alonso has been Madrid's long-term, preferred target to take over from Ancelotti.
The former Spain international joined Leverkusen in October 2022 with the club in the relegation zone, and quickly made his mark. A domestic double followed the next season -- with Leverkusen becoming the first Bundesliga side to go unbeaten over a single campaign -- while this year he has guided the club to second place in the league, and the round of 16 in the Champions League.
Alonso had a hugely successful career as a player, starring for Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, as well as the Spain national team, winning the 2010 World Cup and two European Championships.
An elegant midfielder, Alonso joined Madrid in August 2009, winning LaLiga and two Copas del Rey, before claiming a Champions League medal -- coached by Ancelotti -- in 2014.
After retiring as a player in 2017, he began coaching at Real Madrid's academy and then took a job with hometown club Real Sociedad's B-team, before joining Leverkusen.
"The players have given me so much and we have had a great connection," Alonso added. "They believed in me and they followed me and that is why we have been always with a good chemistry. I want to have a proper goodbye with them.
"I have improved as a coach, as someone that needs to have more resources for myself, for the future. It has worked pretty well. Next step? Probably [I will communicate] after the season is wrapped. Once we feel that we have fulfilled our obligations on the last day will be moment for the next thing."
Asked for further clarity on his future, Alonso responded: "No. Not the moment for that."
