Xabi Alonso, like many - if not most - legendary Real Madrid midfielders, normally makes the right decision. The Basque sat down in front of the press for the first time as head coach of Europe’s most successful club and chose his words very carefully.
He called his presentation "a very special day“, adding that it will be ”marked in my calendar for life"; he said Madrid “felt like home” and his bond with the fans “has never gone away”. Correct decisions.
‘I hope I can live up to the expectations’
“I have the feeling that this is the beginning of a new era”, he carried on. “Florentino, thank you very much for your confidence. I feel that the fans, the Madridistas, are excited to begin this new stage, to grow and to make the history of this club even greater. Thanks also to my family, who are always with me."
On Carlo Ancelotti and taking on the role that carries such weight, Alonso thanked his predecessor: “Before I start talking about the new stage, I would like to talk about the stage that has come to an end. Carlo was my coach, a great person and a great influence. Without his expertise, I would probably not be here.”
He added: “I take over from him and I take up his legacy with great honour and with great pride. I hope I can live up to the expectations and be able to take the club to all the places where we all believe we can do it.”
‘We can do beautiful things’
“We are starting a stage in which I feel that the club and the fans are united. We have a great team, we have fantastic players and a very good potential. That gives me reason to come here with a lot of energy and enthusiasm. We have the conviction that we can achieve important things, worthy of Real Madrid and these European Cups.”
On the fans, Xabi promised one thing: pride. “We want the fans to be proud, to transmit emotions, joy”, he said, adding the exciting line that “we want people to go to the stadium to enjoy themselves. I want them to see us on TV and say: ‘This is my Real Madrid’. If we manage to ignite that, we will have an unstoppable force. We have the conviction that we can do beautiful things."
Excited yet, Madrid fans?