Former Liverpool goalkeeper Sander Westerveld joined the Reds in 1999 as a relatively young stopper and would spend three seasons at Anfield.
His spell on Merseyside was the most successful of his career, in particular the trophy-laden year of 2001 in which Liverpool hoisted the UEFA Cup, League Cup, FA Cup, UEFA Super Cup and FA Charity Shield over a 12-month period.
After departing the north-west of England, Westerveld headed to San Sebastian where he turned out for Real Sociedad.
Xabi Alonso's former Real Sociedad teammate remembers talented youngster
It was there, in the idyllic Basque region of Spain, that the Dutch goalkeeper recalls the impression left upon him by a young midfielder who would go on to star for the Reds and the Spanish national team in years to come.
“Before Xabi went to Liverpool, I played with him at Real Sociedad in the season we nearly won La Liga," Westerveld recalls.
La Real, as they are known in Spain, missed out on the LaLiga title in 2002/03 by two points as Real Madrid ascended back to the throne.
After breaking into the team two years earlier, consolidating his place in the senior setup during 2001/02, the season Real Sociedad finished second in the table was the one in which Alonso excelled.
"You could see he was special, but I never thought he’d have the career he did.
"He was 21 but played with so much experience he looked like a player in his 30s. He was never nervous, rarely had a bad game and his passing was unbelievable," Westerveld adds.
Alonso played a key role a year later but Real Sociedad could not repeat their heroics, finishing the 2003/04 season in 15th position.
Liverpool came calling that summer and brought the tempo-setting Spaniard to the Premier League.
He spent five years on Merseyside before sealing a money-spinning move back to LaLiga, with Real Madrid. Alonso finished his career in Germany with Bavarian giants Bayern Munich having won 17 major titles as a player.
More recently, Alonso was crowned Bundesliga champion as head coach of Bayer Leverkusen during 2023/24, presiding over an improbable undefeated league and cup campaign.
He would return to Real Madrid in the summer of 2025, this time as manager, but departed in January 2026, after losing to Barcelona in the Super Cup Final.
According to The Athletic, sources close to Alonso have not ruled out the possibility that he will return to management before the end of the season. Currently, he is bookmakers' favourite to replace Arne Slot in the dugout at Anfield.
