 "Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso reacts during a match. Image: Reuters")
Bayer Leverkusen head coach Xabi Alonso has confirmed that he will leave the club at the end of the ongoing Bundesliga season. He announced this on 9 May before the team’s last home game on Sunday. Alonso’s contract was supposed to run till 2026, but he will now leave one year early.
Alonso confirms exit before Leverkusen’s final home game
“I owe great thanks to Bayer 04 Leverkusen, my players and staff, all the employees of the club and last but not least the fantastic fans. Our success was the result of an outstanding team performance,” he was quoted as saying in an official release by Bayer 04 Leverkusen.
“This club, who showed exceptional trust in me, very much deserved to win the German league title for the first time. My thanks and admiration go to everybody who helped to make this triumph happen including the DFB Pokal win in Berlin. Bayer 04 are ready for the future. The positive path will continue and I will be excited to follow it,” he added.
Spanish coach tipped to take over at Real Madrid
The 43-year-old Spanish coach is expected to join Real Madrid next. He played for Madrid during his career and is now said to be the top choice to replace Carlo Ancelotti before the start of the next season.
Ancelotti’s contract with Madrid runs until the end of next season but he is expected to leave the club this year. Real Madrid suffered a shock exit from the UEFA Champions League and are currently in a race for the La Liga title with arch-rivals Barcelona. They also lost the Copa del Rey final to Barca.
Alonso became Bayer 04 Leverkusen’s manager in 2022 when the team was near the bottom of the Bundesliga table. Since then, he helped the club win their first-ever Bundesliga title and a domestic cup. Leverkusen also became the only team to go unbeaten in a Bundesliga 2023-24 season under his coaching. This year, the club finished second and lost the title to Bayern Munich.
Alonso’s last two games as Leverkusen boss are against Borussia Dortmund on Sunday and then Mainz away on the final day.
Meanwhile, Alonso has refused to give any hint about his future job. When asked where he would go after Leverkusen, Alonso told reporters, “Now is not the day to talk about the future.”