Honoring Xabi Alonso Upon His Return to the Santiago Bernabéu

Xabi Alonso will make one final trip as a player to the Santiago Bernabéu when Bayern Munich faces Real Madrid in the second leg of the Champions League Quarterfinals. Alex McVey takes this opportunity to remember him upon his return.

Tonight, Xabi Alonso will make one final return to the Santiago Bernabéu as a player before his retirement at the end of this season. While he is currently playing for the enemy, most Madridistas will remember Alonso fondly as one of our own.

The return of the Barba Roja to the Spanish capital provides us with a great opportunity to reflect back on his career, at Madrid and elsewhere.

Alonso is one of those football players that is impossible not to love, even when he’s no longer playing for your team.

Many fans of the Premiership might best remember Alonso, then playing for Liverpool, for his 70 yard wonder-strike against Newcastle.

Or perhaps they’ll remember him for having his penalty saved, but then nailing the rebound, to equalize against AC Milan in Liverpool’s dramatic comeback win in the Instanbul Miracle in the 2005 Champions League final.

Real Madrid fans, on the other hand, are more likely to remember Alonso for his exploits both with Real Madrid and with the Spanish national team. For Madrid, Alonso played the crucial role of Regista, or deep-lying playmaker, filling a Claude Makelele sized hole in Madrid’s midfield.

In this role, Xabi was perhaps best known for his astonishing passing abilities. His long balls would float over the pitch, seeming to hover in the air indefinitely, until dropping down with pinpoint accuracy to launch counter-attacks by Madrid’s pacey attackers.

Not to be underestimated, though, is Alonso’s defensive prowess. Alonso was a master at reading the game and putting himself in the positions necessary to make crucial tackles and interceptions. Combined with his ability to launch plays through impressive cross-field passes, Xabi Alonso’s defensive nous made him one of the most dangerous and sought-after deep-lying midfielders in the world, and an integral part of Mourinho’s counter-attacking Madrid system.

With Mourinho’s Madrid, Alonso helped put down Guardiola’s Barcelona, winning El Clásico at the Camp Nou in 2012. Alonso’s performance was key to Madrid’s victory, as his ability to close down Lionel Messi prevented Barca’s key man from finding the back of the net in his fourth straight match against Madrid. Madrid went on to win La Liga, their first league title in four years, a feat which they have not managed to repeat since.

Alonso’s glory is not limited to club success, though. It should also be remembered that he was a crucial part of the Spain team which won the World Cup in 2010, bookended by European Championship victories in 2008 and 2012.

La Barba Roja was a key man for La Furia Roja, helping establish the midfield dominance that lead the club to unprecedented international success.

Personally, my favorite memories of Xabi Alonso at Madrid come from a match when he wasn’t even on the pitch: the 2014 Champions League Final in Lisbon, where Madrid won La Decima.

Alonso had just put in a magnificent performance against his future team Bayern Munich in the semi-finals, helping secure Madrid a 4-0 aggregate victory over the Bavarians. Unfortunately, a clumsy challenge led to a yellow card, his third of the tournament, causing him to miss the final through suspension.

That did not stop Xabi from making his presence known at the final. Unable to suit up in the Royal White strip, he decided to just suit up instead, stealing the show with his bespoke attire.

Watching the match from the sidelines, Alonso was just as nervous as the rest of us, burying his face in his hands at every missed opportunity, nearly squeezing the life out of the injured Jese who watched with him from the stands.

Alonso was on his feet cheering on Sergio Ramos iconic 93rd minute equalizer.

When Madrid finally managed to pull ahead in extra time following a Gareth Bale header, Xabi produced this magic moment:

Without missing a beat, Xabi hopped the security barrier and ran down to celebrate with his teammates. The joy that he emanated was contagious, and watching him rejoice with the squad like he had scored the goal himself despite not playing a single minute of the final sealed his place as a Madrid legend.

Xabi Alonso exudes style, charisma, and class. He has won everything there is to win, and still manages to stay humble and grounded through it all.

The man exudes style, charisma, and class. He has won everything there is to win, and still manages to stay humble and grounded through it all. He is the living embodiment of Madridismo, even as he has moved on to play for one of our biggest European rivals.

I, for one, will welcome Xabi Alonso back to the Bernabéu with open arms. And although I hope Real Madrid knocks his current team out of the competition, we should nevertheless use his return to honor him and his place in Real Madrid’s history.

Next: Gareth Bale Out of Champions League Second-Leg vs. Bayern Munic