There are a number of places you can start with a summary of Xabi Alonso’s love affair with Liverpool, but the best is probably January 26 this year, standing in the gale-force winds right next to Bill Shankly’s statue outside Anfield.
It was two hours after Jurgen Klopp announced he was leaving the club and Mail Sport was there to talk to fans, some of whom heard the news as they filtered out of stadium tours. There was no match, but hundreds gathered in L4 to be part of what felt like a historic day.
The atmosphere was so great that you would almost expect fans to lay bouquets of flowers. It was bizarre, almost funeral-like, as if they were in mourning. Grown adults crying, fathers comforting their boys – you get the picture. Ultimately the conversations turned to: ‘And who now?’.
Everyone we spoke to that day answered Alonso. On social media, fan accounts asked the same question and it was a landslide in the former midfielder’s favour. Not only one of the biggest coaching sensations since the Special One, Alonso was also the Chosen One.
Arne Slot was not even on the ballot paper. The Dutchman did a fantastic job at Feyenoord, but had not entered the public consciousness of Liverpool fans in the same way as others, including Roberto De Zerbi and a certain Ruben Amorim.
Xabi Alonso returns to Anfield as his Bayer Leverkusen side look to end Liverpool’s perfect start in the Champions League
The Spaniard had emerged as one of the leading contenders to become the next Reds boss after Jurgen Klopp announced he would step down after almost a decade in the job.
Although Arne Slot was eventually appointed as the club’s new manager, he has enjoyed a phenomenal start to life on Merseyside.
This created something of a smokescreen for Liverpool’s top brass, whether intentionally or not. While the fanbase drooled over the possibility of Alonso playing in the Anfield dugout – the bookmakers also fussed about it – the club’s new hierarchy convinced Slot to join.
Just over nine months later, Alonso will be sitting in an Anfield dugout, but the one to the left of the tunnel, not the one Slot patrols. Alonso was never considered for the Liverpool gig, more out of loyalty to Bayer Leverkusen, and Slot was the club’s choice.
The biggest compliment you can pay to Slot – there are plenty, given 13 wins in his first 15 games – is that not many players at Anfield will be rooting for his counterpart tonight. The new guy has settled in faster than even the most optimistic fans expected. Yet Alonso’s performance will remain emotional. The Basque has already played charity matches at Anfield, but tonight is a real homecoming for one of the biggest cult heroes in Liverpool history.
His departure to Real Madrid in 2009 has been described as acrimonious, following a breakdown in relations with then manager Rafael Benitez. Liverpool fans still love him, and many ‘Alonso 14’ shirts are still worn by the traveling Kop. They haven’t seen many players like him.
There are also few like the 42-year-old within management. After winning the Bundesliga and German Cup and leading Leverkusen to the Europa League final, Alonso lives up to an old quote of his: ‘I don’t want to be known for what I’ve done, I want to be known because of what I’m doing.’
He is doing well in that area and his coaching career looks set to be as stellar as a playing CV that includes 17 domestic trophies, including the Champions League with Liverpool and Real, and the World Cup with Spain.
Meanwhile, Alonso led Leverkusen to their first league title without suffering a single defeat
The 42-year-old spent five years at Liverpool and was part of the 2005 Champions League-winning squad
“He is special, that is clear,” said Slot. “If you go to a club at the bottom of the league and go to the top with the same players, without spending so much money, they had the season they had.
‘He has worked with very good managers in the past. He was a player with incredible insight into the game. He knew when to be where and he played at the highest level. So he knows and understands how these players feel at certain moments.’
Alonso is certainly excited to be back. “There is no time for tourism, but maybe walking or running,” said the Spaniard, who shook hands with famous faces at his press conference. “I know the city very well and I love it.”