Gareth Bale said it wasn’t a “surprise” to see Xabi Alonso leave Real Madrid so soon after joining the club, admitting his ex-teammate made the mistake of trying to be a coach rather than a manager during his eight months at the Bernabéu.
Alonso enjoyed great success at former club Bayer Leverkusen, whipping into shape a team that was threatened with relegation when he initially arrived and taking them to a first-ever Bundesliga title the following season in 2023–24. In addition to DFB Pokal success and defeat in the Europa League final, Alonso was one game away from completing an unbeaten treble that year.
