Alonso and the coaching team bid club staff farewell with a ‘Thank you!'

"Each and every one of you is a very important part of the club and the success of recent years. Thank you for everything," stressed Xabi Alonso in his farewell words to the club staff on Thursday afternoon. Visibly moved, assistant coach Sebastian Parrilla also added - and in German: "Bayer 04 has become family. I will always carry this club in my heart!"

Parrilla arrived with Alonso - Encinas and Camenforte at Bayer 04 since 2021

Argentine Sebastian Parrilla arrived at Leverkusen with Xabi Alonso in the autumn of 2022, after the two had already spent three years together at Real Sociedad San Sebastian B in Spain. Parrilla and Alonso got to know each other in the Real Madrid youth set-up before joining San Sebastian.

Alberto Encinas completed the coaching staff as assistant coach in 2021. The Spaniard joined from Barcelona, where he had previously spent four years as assistant coach of the U19s.

Ismael Camenforte Lopez also moved to under the Bayer cross in 2021. In his first season at Bayer 04, the Spaniard was responsible for training methodology at the Kurtekotten performance centre, before joining the coaching staff of the first team at the start of the 2022/23 season and taking on the role of athletics coach.