He was one of the greatest midfielders of his generation, lauded by team-mates and opponents alike.
When Liverpool played well, it was arguably because of the organisational skills and application from this man.
MORE: Van Dijk told to rush recovery!
After excelling at Real Madrid and Bayern Munich before hanging up his boots for good, it was only a matter of time before Xabi Alonso dipped his toes into the managerial waters.
Taking his first tentative steps with a Los Blancos youth side was followed up by his current spell in charge of Real Sociedad B.
However, it was announced on Monday from Bild’s Head of Football, Christian Falk, via a tweet from journalist, Fabrizio Romano, that Alonso will be taking charge of Bundesliga outfit, Borussia Monchengladbach, from this summer.
Xabi Alonso will be the new Borussia Moënchengladbach manager, the agreement has been reached – he’ll be joining the club from June and will take Marco Rose’s place, as per @cfbayern. ???? #transfers #Borussia
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 22, 2021
He’s expected to take over in June and will replace Marco Rose, representing his first serious foray into management.
If the strength of his name means that he’s able to attract a different breed of player to the club, exciting times are almost certainly ahead.