(Football news) Xabi Alonso will be the man Bayer Leverkusen is set to appoint as the new head coach. As a player he has won a lot of trophies such as winning the World Cup in 2010, European Championship in 2008 and 2012, Champions League winner in 2005 and 2014, taking league titles in Germany and Spain as there is no doubt that Xabi Alonso was one of football's greatest. His acquired reputation as a genius midfield strategist might have helped the 40-year-old to draw the attention of the Leverkusen hierarchy and end up giving him a contract until 2024. Alonso in his career made 815 appearances for club & country and won 17 trophies.
The decision to sack an experienced manager like Gerardo Seoane and replace the 43-year-old Swiss with a newcomer might appear risky at first glance. But with Seoane having failed to continuously improve the Bayer team performance and mental robustness, it is Alonso's most pressing challenge to create a change in the players' mindset and hopefully play to their maximum potential. The Swiss exceeded everyone's expectation and qualified for the Champions League and crossed the Bundesliga finish line in third place. However, the former Young Boys coach was sacked after the club oversaw its worst start to a season in decades.
Alonso, who was known for his robustness and unbreakable will on the pitch, must now perform for the first time by stepping into the limelight as a coach. He was capped 114 times for Spain, and Alonso never disappeared from German football's radar as his name turned up in several clubs. Following his retirement in 2017, Alonso became a youth coach at Real Madrid, then in the next two years he managed Real Sociedad's B-team and appeared in a comfortable position in his hometown club. It was common sense that he would one day turn up to manage a top club and at least try to draw a similarly successful picture as he had as a player. After Leverkusen's two Champions League defeats and free-fall in the Bundesliga, Alonso is stepping in against league newcomers Schalke this weekend.
Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes praised the new arrival as "a world-class player over many years, a successful force in Europe's three most challenging leagues" and "a rare top-strategist" who had influenced several top sides.
"I know Leverkusen from my time in Germany as an excellent club. Bayer 04 have always had great players, and I see a lot of quality in the current squad too," Alonso added. "In my discussions with the club, it quickly became clear that, despite the currently difficult situation, ambitious goals are still being pursued in principle. I am very excited about this task and I am sure that we will live up to this claim."
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