In the countdown to the all-important Classico in the La Liga title race, news that Xavi Alonso is quitting as coach of Bayer Leverkusen will hang heavy in the air. A legend with Real Madrid and an exemplary figure in the world of football, he's now the strong favourite to return to the Spanish capital to succeed Italian Carlo Ancelotti.
A match that is all the more important for restoring Real's tarnished image as the biggest club in the world and a leading examples of all that's good in the sport.
