Xabi Alonso Embraces Ancelotti's Legacy: "Without His Mastery, I Wouldn't Be Here"

Eleven years after concluding his brilliant career as a Real Madrid player, during which he played 236 matches and won six titles, Xabi Alonso returned to the Spanish capital on Monday to mark the beginning of a new era. "It's a very special day, a day that will be marked on my calendar for life," said the man from Tolosa during his presentation as the new coach of Los Blancos for the next three seasons, exuding confidence as he faces the greatest challenge of his career and embraces the formidable legacy of Carlo Ancelotti.

"Carlo was my coach, a great person, and a great influence. Without his mastery, I probably wouldn't be here. I take over and accept his legacy with much honour and pride," proclaimed Xabi Alonso after signing in an event attended by Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez, supported by his family and several club legends from Chamartín.

"I hope to meet expectations and take the club to all the places where we all believe we can go. We are starting a phase where I feel the club and the fans are united. We have a great team, fantastic players, and very good potential. That gives me reasons to come here with a lot of energy and enthusiasm," emphasized the Basque, who expressed confidence in achieving "important things, worthy of Real Madrid and these European Cups" that silently witnessed his return to what he has always felt as his home.

With the same elegance and timing he displayed on the pitch as the captain of the Chamartín team, Xabi Alonso took control of the stage at the Valdebebas Sports City to send a message of hope to Madridismo and lift spirits after a disappointing campaign that closed an enormously successful cycle and opened another that should follow a similar path. "We want the fans to be proud, to convey emotions and joy. We want people to come to the stadium to enjoy themselves. If we can ignite that, we will have an unstoppable force," ventured the new Real Madrid coach, whom Florentino Pérez welcomed as "one of the great figures of football" and "one of the best coaches in the world."

"We all knew what your destiny would be when you sat down in 2018 to lead Infantil A," said the Real Madrid president, reminding the man from Tolosa of the enormous "demand" of Real Madrid but expressing confidence that they will share "many joys."

Xabi Alonso, who is replaced by Erik ten Hag as the new coach of Bayer Leverkusen, after the Basque changed the team's history by rescuing them from the depths to end Bayern Munich's dominance in the Bundesliga during an unforgettable campaign in which he also lifted the German Cup and Super Cups, and only the defeat against Atalanta in the Europa League final was a blemish after remaining unbeaten for 51 matches, now takes on the challenge of revitalizing Real Madrid.

He does so with the excellent legacy left by Ancelotti, whom he had as a boss both at Real Madrid and Leverkusen, but also with the need to spur a dressing room that faltered in the Italian's last season and ended the course with the UEFA Super Cup and Intercontinental Cup as an insufficient haul that has precipitated a change of guard on the bench and a revolution in the squad with the confirmed arrival of Dean Huijsen for the centre-back position, the also closed but not yet official signing of Trent Alexander-Arnold for the right-back, and the expected arrival of Álvaro Carreras for the left-back, along with some other signings to come.