Xabi Alonso
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Very few people have the opportunity to play for more than one of Europe’s elite clubs but to play for three of Europe’s elite clubs is an achievement in itself.
“In my opinion, I’ve played for the best teams in England, Spain and Germany, which is what I wanted: a good career” - Xabi Alonso said recently in an interview after he announced his retirement from professional football. It’s hard to argue with that because he played for Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.
Alonso started his career with his hometown club Real Sociedad before switching to England in 2004 to play for Rafa Benitez’s Liverpool. He established himself as one of the best midfielders in the league in no time and went on to famously win the UEFA Champions League in his debut season with the Reds and he was one of Liverpool’s scorers on that famous night in Istanbul.
His stay with Liverpool lasted five years after which he moved to Real Madrid. Alonso was already a Champions League winner with Liverpool and a Euro winner with Spain and had now established himself as one of the best central midfielders in the world.
The Basque-born player’s stay with Real Madrid was also equally successful as he went on to win his first league title and added another Champions League medal to his name. During this period, he also won the FIFA World Cup in 2010 and Euro 2012.
His final destination was Germany where he joined Bayern Munich and won three league titles in as many years.
During his illustrious career, he has played under some of the finest managers in the world including Jose Mourinho, Pep Guardiola, Carlo Ancelotti, Rafa Benitez, Vicente del Bosque, Luis Aragonés and Manuel Pellegrini.
