What fans should expect in Xabi Alonso potential move to Real Madrid

The football world buzzed with confirmation of a long-anticipated move: Xabi Alonso, the celebrated Bayer Leverkusen manager, is set to depart from Bayer Leverkusen and potentially take on the helm at Real Madrid. The announcement, broken by transfer expert Fabrizio Romano on X, marks the end of months of speculation and signals the dawn of a new era for the Spanish giants. For Alonso, a former Real Madrid midfielder, from 2009 to 2014, this move is a homecoming, a chance to write his name in the club’s celebrated history not just as a player, but as a manager. But who is Xabi Alonso the manager, and what can Real Madrid fans expect from his tenure? This piece is set to explore his managerial journey, tactics, records, and achievements.

Xabi Alonso’s rise in management

Xabi Alonso’s transition from player to manager has been nothing short of remarkable. Born on November 25, 1981, in Tolosa, Basque Country, Alonso grew up in a footballing family, his father, Periko Alonso, won La Liga twice with Real Sociedad and once with Barcelona. Xabi’s playing career was illustrious, with stints at Real Sociedad, Liverpool, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich, where he won major honors, including the UEFA Champions League with both Liverpool (2005) and Real Madrid (2014), as well as La Liga and the Bundesliga. Known for his passing precision and tactical intelligence, Alonso was a midfielder who controlled games with composure and vision.

After retiring in 2017, Alonso wasted no time stepping into coaching. He began with Real Madrid’s U14 team, a fitting start for a man who would later be linked with the senior job. In 2019, he returned to his boyhood club, Real Sociedad, taking charge of their B team. In his two-year period there was a success, he led Real Sociedad B to promotion to the Segunda Division in the 2020/21 season, their first return to the second tier since 1962. Despite relegation the following year, Alonso’s ability to develop young talent and implement a clear playing style caught the eye of bigger clubs.

In October 2022, Alonso was appointed head coach of Bayer Leverkusen, a club struggling and on the brink of a Bundesliga relegation battle. Leverkusen were second from bottom after eight games, enduring their worst start since 1979. What followed was a transformation that turned Alonso into one of Europe’s most sought-after managers. In his first game, he secured a 4–0 win over Schalke 04, making the path for a remarkable turnaround. By the end of the 2022/23 season, Leverkusen finished sixth, a proof of Alonso’s immediate impact.

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Leverkusen invincible season: Alonso’s records and achievements

Alonso’s crowning achievement came in the 2023/24 season, when he led Bayer Leverkusen to an unprecedented unbeaten domestic double. The team clinched their first-ever Bundesliga title with a 5–0 victory over Werder Bremen on April 14, 2024, with five games to spare. They finished the season with 90 points, a club record, scoring 89 goals and conceding just 24, the best defensive record in Leverkusen’s history. They also won the DFB-Pokal, defeating FC Kaiserslautern 1–0 in the final, completing the double with a 1–0 victory in the 2024 Supercup to boot.

The numbers from that season are astounding. Leverkusen became the first team in Bundesliga history to go an entire season unbeaten, a feat that included a European record of 51 games without defeat across all competitions (42 wins, 9 draws). They set club records for away wins (14), points earned away from home (45), and consecutive unbeaten away games (33), equalling Bayern Munich’s all-time Bundesliga record. Alonso’s win ratio at Leverkusen stands at an impressive 65%, with 88 wins, 32 draws, and 18 defeats in 138 competitive matches as of May 2025. His points-per-game average of 2.2 and goals-per-game average of 2.2 are the best in Leverkusen’s history, surpassing even the likes of Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti in terms of club-specific impact.

However, the 2024/25 season brought challenges. Leverkusen’s form dropped, with a surprise exit to third-division Arminia Bielefeld in the German Cup semifinals and a faltering Bundesliga campaign that saw them trail Bayern Munich by eight points in February 2025. Despite this, Alonso equalled the Bundesliga record for the longest unbeaten away run as a coach (27 games), an achievement that shows his consistency even in a tougher season.

Alonso’s tactical philosophy

Alonso’s managerial style is a fascinating combination of the influences he gained during his playing career under coaches like Rafael Benitez, Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, and Pep Guardiola. At Leverkusen, he primarily deployed a 3-4-2-1 formation, featuring three center-backs, dynamic wing-backs, a double-pivot in midfield, and three forwards (a striker supported by two attacking midfielders). This tactics allowed Leverkusen to dominate possession while remaining a threat on the counter.

His teams are known for their fast-paced approach, both in and out of possession. With the ball, Alonso emphasizes compact triangles and direct passing to the forward line, encouraging early balls to strikers to exploit space. Wing-backs like Jeremie Frimpong were pivotal, with their wild runs creating numerous scoring opportunities, Frimpong alone contributed to multiple goals in the 2023/24 season.

Out of possession, Alonso’s teams are defensively compact, with wide players and midfielders dropping back to support the backline. A coordinated press is triggered when the opposition enters dangerous zones, a tactic that limited Leverkusen to conceding just five goals from open play in their first 11 Bundesliga games of the 2023/24 season. This balance of possession dominance, ruthless counter-attacks, and defensive solidity makes Alonso a practical coach, who adapts to the context of each game, a this can serve him well at Real Madrid.

The Real Madrid challenge: Can Alonso succeed?

Real Madrid is a different beast altogether. The club’s expectations are sky-high and ocean-deep, so managers are judged not just on trophies but on the style of play and the ability to manage a squad brimming with egos and talent. Alonso inherits a team in transition. Carlo Ancelotti, who led Madrid to 15 titles, including two Champions League trophies, is reportedly on his way out, potentially to coach Brazil. The squad Alonso will manage is a mix of world-class stars like Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, and Vinicius Jr, alongside aging veterans, and imbalanced positions. In regards to the pedigree of the Los Blancos, Alonso will face immense scrutiny and must manage an inconsistent squad with huge talents.

Football enthusiasts in anticipation of Alonso’s move to Real Madrid have expressed their opinion, while some point out the difficulties he could face with players like Kylian Mbappe who usually does not admire a high-pressing tactics and how to integrate new signings like Trent Alexander-Arnold into his system, or that the la Liga is not a league where invincibles happen easily as seen in the Bundesliga. Others however, have shown optimism of Alonso replicating his record in Leverkusen at Real Madrid as players like Trent could be used as a dynamic wing-back similar to Frimpong or using Jude Bellingham and Federico Valverde as midfield pivots to support the front line.

Conclusion

Alonso’s potential move to Real Madrid, is a gamble for both parties. For Alonso, it is a chance to manage one of the world’s biggest clubs at just 43 years old, in only his second senior managerial role. For Madrid, it is another bet on a young manager with a proven track record but limited experience at the elite level, similar to Zinedine Zidane. His time at Leverkusen showcased his ability to transform a struggling team into champions, but the pressure in Madrid, where El Clasico battles and Champions League glory are not to be joked about will test his mettle.

The 2025/26 season promises to be a spectacle, with fans on social media already hyping up El Clasico matchups between Alonso’s Madrid and Hansi Flick’s Barcelona. Alonso’s tactical ability, gained through years of learning from the best, will be on full display. If he can replicate even half of his Leverkusen magic while adapting to Madrid’s unique demands, he could write his name in football’s folklore as one of the game’s great managers. For now, the prodigal son seems to be making his return, and the Bernabeu awaits his next chapter anxiously.