Xabi Alonso’s recent comments in a German newspaper will not have endeared him to the Real Madrid dressing room. The Bayern Munich midfielder declared that Manuel Neuer was the ‘best goalkeeper he had ever played’ with and he was ‘keeping his fingers crossed’ that a German won this year’s Ballon d’Or.
Unsurprisingly, his words were seen as a slight to Iker Casillas and Cristiano Ronaldo, his former teammates at Madrid, but were they really so surprising?
Alonso swapped the Santiago Bernabeu for the Allianz Arena last summer, telling Sport 1 TV that “when Bayern are interested in you then you must not hesitate for a single second.” However, stories have since emerged in Spain that the 32-year-old was not the most popular character in Carlo Ancelotti’s team despite having been part of the squad that won La Decima back in May, although he missed the final due to suspension.
According to Marca, almost nobody at Madrid, including the directors, players and coaching staff, has missed his presence at the club. The newspaper claims Alonso has not got on with ‘keeper Casillas since Jose Mourinho’s era, while a week before the Champions League final against Atletico Madrid in Lisbon the pair had a heated discussion in the changing rooms.
Neither did Alonso see eye-to-eye with Cristiano Ronaldo, whom he saw as some kind of traitor after the Portuguese changed his opinion of Mourinho halfway through the current Chelsea manager’s tenure in Madrid.
Cadena Ser asserts the list of people who fell out with Xabi is a long one and that only a handful of younger players and Alvaro Arbeloa, who he knew from their time together at Liverpool, maintained a good relationship with Alonso.
In fact, Alonso and Arbeloa are still regularly in touch and recently holidayed together in Venice with their respective partners. There have also been allegations that the rest of the players had a nickname for Alonso, referring to him as ‘chaquetas’ – or ‘jackets’ – due to his love of suits but willing to change his opinions according to his particular interests.
Alonso, although he achieved hero status with Madrid fans for his performances on the pitch, did not exactly win their affection when he told journalist Inaki Gabilondo “I’m not a Madridista by birth but an adopted Madridista.” It was a statement that added fuel to the fire for those who consider him one of football’s modern mercenaries and one that was bound to leave some open wounds when the time came for his departure from Madrid.
There were also some well-publicised comments following Spain’s abject failure in this year’s World Cup. “We didn’t know how to maintain the hunger and ambition…we were not prepared physically and mentally,” are remarks that will probably be Alonso’s epitaph as far as international football is concerned.
Unsurprisingly, Arbeloa endorsed his friend’s comments by saying he would rather hear ‘home truths’ than some of the lies that were bandied about, although Barcelona’s Andres Iniesta publicly contradicted his national team colleague.
Generally speaking, Alonso is a player who divides public opinion off the pitch. His supporters will point out he would rather bring something out into the open rather than let it fester, while detractors say he is somebody who courts controversy if it furthers his own cause and enjoys being seen as a maverick.
Either way, it appears the rift he has created in Madrid is one that may possibly never heal, and one Alonso might not want to, as he gradually goes from hero to villain in the eyes of those who once idolised him.
