Xabi Alonso has taken the footballing world by storm in 2023/24, leading Bayer Leverkusen to their first-ever Bundesliga title. They are also on the cusp of an undefeated season, which would have been unthinkable coming into the campaign.
Real Madrid have been keeping close tabs on their former midfielder as a possible hire to replace Carlo Ancelotti, and he was actually on their radar well before he even took the Leverkusen job and became THE coaching sensation in world football.
Courted heavily by two other former clubs in Liverpool and Bayern Munich as replacements for top German managers Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel, respectively, Alonso has decided to remain with Leverkusen for their 2024/25 Champions League campaign.
Not only does it make sense for Alonso to see things through with Leverkusen in the Champions League after leading them to that destination, but many around world football also believe Alonso’s decision to stay means he is waiting for Real Madrid.
This weekend, Leverkusen’s undefeated status in the Bundesliga was threatened yet again – this time by another surprise side in Germany, Stuttgart.
Down 2-1 in the dying minutes of the match, Leverkusen found an equalizer in the 96th minute from veteran defensive midfielder Robert Andrich to remain invincible.
This latest clutch, big-game win by Bayer Leverkusen under Xabi Alonso had the footballing world buzzing about the Spanish international’s “black magic” late in games.
It seems like just when you think someone will have Leverkusen’s number or they cannot possibly come back from something, Alonso’s men find a way.
That is literally what Real Madrid are all about throughout their history, including most memorably in 2021/22 with their Champions League Remontadas over PSG, Chelsea, and Manchester City.
Alonso’s late-game magic with Leverkusen is another sign that the former Real Sociedad man is the right manager for Real Madrid in the future.
He has the magic touch and can follow in the footsteps of Zinedine Zidane and Carlo Ancelotti – his former managers, by the way, when he was part of a clutch Real Madrid win for La Decima.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He has been an editor for NFL Spin Zone, Daily DDT for pro wrestling, Autzen Zoo covering the Oregon Ducks, Musket Fire covering the New England Patriots, The Real Champs covering Real Madrid, Old Juve covering Juventus, Rush The Kop covering Liverpool, and Release The Knappen covering Schalke. His work has been featured in ESPN, Bleacher Report, Yahoo! Sports, NBC Sports, and other outlets. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.