Muchas gracias, Xabi!

The highly successful and mutually appreciated partnership between Bayer 04 and head coach Xabi Alonso ends after two and a half years. The 43-year-old Spaniard has led the Werkself to three trophies. Above all, winning the first German league title in the club's history will always be associated with the name of Xabi Alonso. The former world class player, who won many hearts in Leverkusen as a person, now says farewell to Bayer 04. We look back at a fantastic time with the Basque who fulfilled the biggest dream of all Bayer 04 fans together with an outstanding team.

The appointment of Xabi Alonso in October 2022 came as a surprise for many pundits. Yes, of course, the Spaniard had a great reputation. As a player he really achieved everything that was to be achieved. He won the World Cup (2010) and the Euros twice (2008, 2012) with Spain, he won the Champions League with Liverpool (2005) and with Real Madrid (2014) and was a champion of Germany three times with Bayern Munich between 2014 and 2017. "In Xabi Alonso we have signed a coach who was an absolute world-class player over many years, is an intelligent strategist and extremely successful in three of the top European leagues," said Simon Rolfes at the presentation of the Basque in Leverkusen.

The Bayer 04 sporting managing director together with CEO Fernando Carro and Werner Wenning, the chair of the shareholders committee, achieved a perceived coup that remained to be proven true later. Xabi Alonso was more or less an unknown quantity as a coach. After ending his playing career in 2017 he first coached the Real Madrid U14 team and then the second team of his club as a teenager Real Sociedad for three years. Now he was to take charge of an ambitious Bundesliga club for the first time. And it is well known that a former world-class player does not necessarily turn into a world-class coach. But the chances looked good for Xabi Alonso.

One person new in 2019 at the second career of the Spaniard would be successful: "He was coached by Pep Guardiola at Bayern, by me and Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid and by Rafael Benitez at Liverpool," said José Mourinho about his former leading player in his own modest way. "If you add all that together then Xabi has the best foundations to become a very good coach!" Without doubt, the Special One was right. But, of course, that was only half the story. Equally important as the renowned coaches he played under, was his own character and the analytical ability and understanding of the game that were evident in the player Xabi Alonso.

For example, when the midfielder moved from Real Sociedad to Liverpool at the age of 22 not all the Reds were equally enthusiastic when they first found out about the new signing from the Basque country. Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher said on Redmen TV that Rafael Benitez, the then coach of the Reds, announced the arrival of fellow countrymen Xabi Alonso to the players with the following words: "This player will strengthen us, I think he’s a fantastic player. He's already spoken to me about where the team can improve and about other tactical issues," Carragher, then a Liverpool central defender and vice captain, recalls his reaction: "I just thought: who the hell does he think he is? 22, comes over from Spain and wants to tell us what we're doing wrong. Blimey, show what you can do in your shirt first." Xabi Alonso showed what he could do in the shirt and Carragher’s doubts quickly disappeared. His new teammate developed into a world star and crowd favourite at Anfield.

with new Team spirit and confidence

Second thoughts about his abilities as a coach did not come up Leverkusen: On 8 October 2022 Xabi Alonso celebrated a perfect start as the new coach of the Werkself who had slipped down to 17th in the Bundesliga after eight games under his predecessor Gerardo Seoane and had lost 2-0 at Porto in the Champions League a few days before. The Black and Reds secured a convincing 4-0 win against Schalke 04 under the Spaniard. But he needed time to stabilise an unsettled team. The opening win was followed by two defeats, a 3-0 reverse at Porto and a 5-1 loss at Eintracht Frankfurt. The big setback suffered in Frankfurt was later seen by Xabi Alonso has a turning point. The coach set out a very clear way forward: "We had to be more organised in our game, dedicate greater value to defensive work as we were very susceptible to conceding. We found it difficult to defend in the right way as a team and we had to learn where to defend."

Even more important than tactics and systems for the Spaniard was initially a new team spirit. "From the start it was about building a team, a group that functions, has fun together, stands by each other. That was my basic target after arriving Leverkusen." The turnaround under the Bayer Cross started when the players took his football philosophy to heart. The Werkself qualified for the Europa League after finishing third in the Champions League group. There were three wins in succession against Union Berlin, FC Köln and VfB Stuttgart that saw an improved position in the Bundesliga.

Xabi Alonso had given confidence back to his team. And the old playing ability returned with increasing security. When Florian Wirtz returned to the team after 300 days out injured, Bayer 04 started their comeback. Xabi Alonso took the team to sixth place at the end of the 2022/23 season – qualification for the Europa League was sealed.

Temperament in the technical area

And talking about Europe: The win on penalties at Monaco unleashed a wave of euphoria in Leverkusen that the team and the fans took with them for the rest of the season. The Werkself were in the semi-final of a European competition for the first time in over 20 years. Bayer 04 faced AS Roma and Xabi Alonso was up against José Mourinho, his former coach at Real Madrid, who had prophesied a great future for him as a coach. The Black and Reds just missed out on the final in Budapest but the basis was laid for a promising season in the 2023/24 campaign. Above all thanks to Xabi Alonso and his assistant coach Sebastian Parrilla plus all the coaching staff. Away from the pitch the quiet and thoughtful head coach again and again was full of action on the touchline with a lot of Spanish temperament. Gesticulating, shouting, encouraging, celebrating. And at times it looked like was playing in spirit in the technical area and would even liked to have intervened on the pitch.

Xabi Alonso received great praise for his work from an authoritative source. Jupp Heynckes, who coached the Werkself for two years from 2009 to 2011, succeeded in making the step from a world-class player to a world-class coach. And, as a former coach of Athletic Bilbao, Heynckes knows the Basque country and its people. "Xabi Alonso's mentality has always impressed me," said the 79-year-old last year in an interview with the Werkself Magazine. "Everybody knows about his football ability – but his attitude as a player on the pitch impressed me even more. There was never a negative gesture and that impressed me. His temperamental qualities came out early on. That is the origin of his great success." Xabi Alonso is a typical Basque. Respectful, humble, down-to-earth.

a typical Basque

Values that his father gave him. Periko Alonso was a professional player and he won the La Liga title at the start of the 1980s twice with Real Sociedad and once with Barcelona. At the Catalan club he played alongside Bernd Schuster and Diego Maradona. "My father is very important to me and as a role model – as a player and a coach but above all as a human being. The way he behaves with other people, how he approaches things and the respect he has for his fellow human beings, has shaped me," said Xabi Alonso.

In a documentary on Sky, Mikel Etxarri, a former manager in the youth setup at Real Sociedad, said about Alonso who had grown up in San Sebastian: "Xabi has always remained Xabi. Modest. Somebody who stops you when he sees on the street to give you a hug and talk to you." The 43-year-old is also happy to take his players under his wing, above all the younger ones. He knows how to deal with highly talented players and makes them better. That is also his great strength. For Jupp Heynckes, Xabi Alonso is a "type of street worker who looks after his players. That means he's empathetic. He has great expertise and the psychological sensitivity. He is communicative when he has to be. And he is also strict if necessary. All of that but without being authoritarian. He maintains the respect of the players in a natural way."

the champions maker

Werkself fans meet their 'King Xabi the first' not just with respect but also great affection. The Spaniard has brought their team to a different level. He led them to top performances, countless records and two trophies in the historic 2023/24 season. And to the final of the Europa League. He deserves a statue in Leverkusen just for the first German league title in the club's history. For a magical day, 14 April 2024, went Bayer 04 sealed the title with a 5-0 victory over Werder Bremen with Bismarckstraße being renamed Xabi Alonso Allee for fun. But too much fuss around him is not right for the double winner.

The Werkself won the Supercup at the start of the current season. The title defence in the Bundesliga and the DFB Pokal has not succeeded but Bayer 04 are having the second best season in the club's history as runners-up in the Bundesliga. Xabi Alonso has made himself immortal in his two and a half years in Leverkusen. And therefore:

Muchas gracias por todo, Xabi! And lots of success to you in the future. We will meet again.