Xabi Alonso has fitted in so well to life at Bayern Munich that he didn't look ridiculous when he attended the Oktoberfest. He suited the Lederhosen and held aloft his Stein in just as Bavarian a way as Thomas Müller and Manuel Neuer. On the football pitch, it's the same story.
It should be of little surprise. Throughout his career, Alonso has shown maturity, a willingness to adapt, and football intelligence that could suit any League. From being handed the Real Sociedad captaincy at a tender age, to the vital role he played in Madrid's success, that innate ability allowed Alonso to make his Bayern Munich debut the very next day after signing his contract. Naturally, he won Man of the Match – as he also did in his second game – and instantly became the darling of the German press.
Just as it was once cool to praise tiki taka, it is now de rigeuer to claim that era has had its day. However, any doubts Bayern fans had were long dispelled by the time Alonso collected 175 passes against Cologne. To say he controlled the tempo of the game would be putting it mildly, since he completed more passes than the whole Cologne team combined. Not to mention a League record 206 touches, or to put that into some perspective, a touch every 26 seconds.
But to pigeonhole the 32-year-old as a tiki-taka specialist would be a huge disservice. Supreme passing ability is a valuable asset in any era, any system. His role for Bayern often sees him playing deeper than ever. But the control he provides allows Guardiola to play a potentially kamikaze, 19th Century style 3-3-4 formation.
Having swapped Madrid for Bayern, it's almost as if there was a de facto switch with Toni Kroos, who went in the other direction – though Alonso claims working with Guardiola was his main motivation. Kroos has had a decent start, but just like Alonso at times, he's been over shadowed by Cristiano Ronaldo and pals up top taking the scoring headlines.
Kroos' debut for Madrid in the Super Cup final vs. Sevilla shows he possesses similar adaptability and game-influencing skills as Alonso, and long-term Kroos could be a Madrid Superstar. But right now, Alonso's form would warrant a place in any club team in the world. Although it wasn’t always noticeable, Alonso was in many ways the key man to Madrid's previous League and Champions League successes. For the majority of the Champions League final, Atletico Madrid were dominating an Alonso-less Madrid midfield.
Unlike Kroos, Alonso is seen as a relatively short-term solution. Long-term injuries to key Bayern midfielders including Bastian Schweinsteiger and Alonso’s compatriot Javi Martinez prompted the reported €8m purchase. Thanks to Alonso’s ankle problems, it’s rumoured he is only training two times per week, and only jogging the rest of the week, which makes his performances all the more remarkable.
Alonso retired after the 2014 World Cup. A player with such elegance and experience – he appeared in the Euro 2008 final off the bench and started the WC 2010 and Euro 2012 finals – was always going to be missed. Just like after Alonso left Liverpool, to some extent Madrid, and certainly his national team, will only realise how much he's missed after he's already gone.
