Xabier Alonso Olano made his debut for Real Sociedad against Logrones on 1 December 1999 in Copa del Rey. He made 14 further appearances that season but was then loaned out to second division Eibar. Sociedad were, however, struggling in the Primera Liga and new manager and former Liverpool great, John Toshack, recalled Alonso from his loan and in a shock move made the 19-year-old captain of the side. The team cemented their position in La Liga the following year and blossomed in the 2002/03 season, finishing two points behind champions Real Madrid. The respected football magazine ‘Don Balon’ chose Alonso Spanish Player of the Year. Alonso made his international debut against Equador on 30 April 2003 and featured against Russia and Portugal in Euro 2004, but Spain failed to get out of the group stages. Sociedad qualified for the knockout phase of the Champions League, but got knocked out by Lyon and struggled in the league, finishing fifteenth. Rafa had seen enough of Xabi to convince him of the qualities he could bring to Liverpool: strong in defence and going forward and possessed an excellent passing range. If there ever was a player moulded in the Liverpool way, it was Alonso as he was comfortable in possession with the vision to spot passes and the ability to execute them. He was also a tough customer and maybe Rafa didn’t expect that he would boast one of the best rates of successful tackles in the Premiership.

Alonso made an instant impression at Liverpool, but suffered a broken ankle in the 2005 New Years’ Day clash against Chelsea and the difference in the team’s performance was noticeable. Alonso returned to the side three months later just in time to feature in the second leg of the quarter-final clash with Juventus in the Champions League when Liverpool drew 0-0 in Turin after beating them 2-1 at Anfield. Reds were concerned when he was banned for the second leg of the semi-final against Chelsea at Anfield after Gudjohnsen got him yellow-carded at Stamford Bridge. Fortunately, his absence didn’t prevent Liverpool from reaching the final where he scored the equalising goal against Milan, pouncing on the rebound after seeing his penalty saved. Alonso was incredibly a European champion in his debut season at Liverpool. Alonso’s speciality became his extra-long-range strikes, scoring twice from inside his own half. His first effort was from 65 yards in the 5-3 FA Cup win over Luton in January 2006. In the 2005/06 season, Alonso looked forward to an FA Cup final against West Ham. Unfortunately, he picked up an ankle injury in the last League game of the season but convinced Rafa and the medical team that he was ready for the final. Alonso managed 67 minutes before he was taken off at the Millennium Stadium where Gerrard-inspired Liverpool went on to win a winners’ medal for him after conquering the Hammers in a penalty shoot-out. Alonso repeated this incredible feat of scoring from his own half, against Newcastle in September 2006 in a League game at Anfield. This time the distance was 70 yards and Steve Harper tried desperately to reach the shot but to no avail. The Independent described it as “one of the most audacious goals in Anfield’s rich 115-year history.” Despite this wonder goal Alonso seemed to have lost his way a bit. His usually sublime passes were quite wayward and he didn’t contribute as he did before. Rafa kept faith with him in the 2006/07 season that ended disappointingly in Athens where Alonso featured in the 2-1 loss to Milan in the Champions League final.

The Basque played in fewer first-team competitive matches during his fourth season at Anfield than the season previous, just 27 out of a possible 59. He was picked from the start in the opening five League games and scored twice as promoted Derby County were thrashed 6-0 at Anfield on the first day of September. He was substituted due to a slight injury against Portsmouth in the middle of September and was out for six weeks. Alonso was rushed to action to face Arsenal on 28 October 2007 but limped off and missed seven weeks more. Rafa struggled to find a suitable midfield combination in his absence rotating between Sissoko, Mascherano and Lucas to partner Gerrard. When Alonso returned Benítez accommodated him alongside the respective holding midfielder by moving Gerrard further forward as a second striker behind Fernando Torres. Alonso played 163 minutes in Spain’s successful Euro 2008 tournament and came on as a substitute in the sixty-third minute in the final against Germany. After the tournament speculation was rife that Alonso would be moving on from Liverpool with Gareth Barry the man expected to take his place. In the end, Barry’s transfer from Aston Villa never happened and Alonso went on to have perhaps his best season as a Liverpool player, making 47 first-team appearances and scoring five times, including the goal that ended Chelsea’s record-breaking unbeaten home run in the League. His tenacity was back, prompting his opponents to foul him on a constant basis, which resulted in six sending-offs for fouls made on him! Benítez’s willingness to sell him on a year previously lingered and soured their relationship. Real Madrid were monitoring the situation and Alonso wanted to return home to Spain. Liverpool agreed to sell the midfielder to Madrid for a fee that was believed to be around £30 million, certainly, a significant profit on the £10.7 million Liverpool paid Real Sociedad for Alonso’s services in 2004.

Alonso only missed four La Liga matches as Real finished runners-up to Barcelona and three points behind their Catalan rivals in his debut season. Alonso had a happy summer as he started every game as Spain won the World Cup after beating the Netherlands in the final. The 2010/11 season followed a similar pattern as the first, in that Alonso played in 34 of the 38 league matches as Madrid again finished runners-up to Barcelona. Real did, however, win a stormy Copa del Rey final by beating their Catalan rivals 1-0 at Valencia’s Mestalla stadium. Alonso was Jose Mourinho’s playmaker extraordinaire in the 2011/12 campaign when Real finally managed to wrestle the Spanish championship away from Barcelona, who had held it for the previous three years.

In 2012/13 Alonso took his total of first-team appearances for Real Madrid close to the two hundred mark. But the defending Spanish champions were unable to retain their title. Alonso was a member of the Madrid team that knocked Manchester United out of the Champions League at Old Trafford at the Last 16 stage of the competition. But Borussia Dortmund ended Alonso's hope of a second winners' medal by narrowly defeating Real on aggregate in the semi-final. Alonso made 26 La Liga appearances in the 2013/14 season. Real Madrid ended the season in 3rd place behind their city rivals Atlético Madrid and Barcelona. Real and Atlético would also meet in the Champions League final but Xabi was suspended for that showpiece event having been cautioned in the second leg of the semi-final against Bayern Munich, but nevertheless enjoyed Real's great victory, his second Champions League success. In August 2014 Alonso signed for Bayern Munich after five successful years at Real, disclosing that he rejected advances from Premier League clubs as he wanted to protect his Liverpool legacy: "I had five great years at Liverpool and I would rather just keep that memory as it is." He played 26 times as Bayern won the Bundesliga title and also broke the record for the most passes in a Bundesliga game, racking up 196 in a game against Cologne in September 2014. The following season Alonso was a Bundesliga winner again, starting 23 times and in December 2015 signed a contract extension until the summer of 2017. When January 2017 arrived and Alonso was able to sign a pre-contract with another club, he put an end to any speculation by stating that he would be retiring from playing at the end of the season. He did so after having added another Bundesliga title and German Cup to his glittering array of medals.

In 2018 Alonso completed his UEFA Elite coaching licence and returned to Real Madrid to take on a coaching role with the Under-14 side, laying foundations for a career on the touchline. He continued his progression in July 2019 when he became coach of Real Sociedad's B side Sanse, competing in Segunda B, the regionalised third tier of Spanish football. In his second season there he gained promotion to the Segunda Division, the first time they had played at that level since 1962. Although survival proved difficult and relegation followed, Alonso had enhanced his reputation as a coach capable of developing young talent and instilling a clear tactical identity. Alonso's next opportunity came in October 2022, when he accepted the managerial role at Bayer Leverkusen. Taking over with the team in the lower reaches of the Bundesliga, he quickly imposed a possession-based style blended with swift counter-attacking transitions. Results improved markedly, and within months Leverkusen climbed the table and reached the latter stages of the Europa League. The 2023/24 campaign was historic. Under Alonso’s guidance, Leverkusen went the entire Bundesliga season unbeaten, clinching the first league title in the club’s history. They also lifted the DFB-Pokal, completing a remarkable domestic double. His tactical flexibility, use of wing-backs, and emphasis on collective play drew admiration across Europe.

In the 2024/25 season, Leverkusen continued to impress at home and abroad, cementing Alonso’s reputation as one of Europe’s most promising young managers. His ability to combine discipline with expressive attacking football echoed the qualities he had shown as a midfielder, making him a sought-after figure whenever elite clubs considered new leadership. Following a historic run at Leverkusen, Xabi Alonso returned to the club where he first rose to fame—signing a three-year agreement with Real Madrid that runs from 1 June 2025 to 30 June 2028.