Xabi Alonso recently revealed he is excited to be back in the Champions League, managing his beloved Real Madrid for the first time in the competition.
Last season, Xabi Alonso oversaw Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League, where they reached the Round of 16. Historically, they qualified for the competition not just by winning the Bundesliga, but by winning it unbeaten, the season prior.
Now, Xabi Alonso already has a recent history in a European final. His Bayer Leverkusen side, unfortunately, lost the Europa League final against Atalanta to end the unbeaten streak.
This only adds fuel to Xabi Alonso's fire. He is excited to return to the Champions League, claiming (quotes courtesy of Diario AS - translated to English):
"The excitement that comes with playing in the Champions League with Real Madrid. If it's already a special competition, it's even more so for this club, and if possible, at the Bernabéu, with all the history it has... it's even more motivating."
"We're starting our season in European competition after the start of La Liga, and the fans are eager. They want to make progress, keep growing. Tomorrow we have a demanding, high-level opponent, and we hope to start well against them."
Fans know real reason Xabi Alonso is excited by the Champions League
Xabi Alonso can point to the history of the competition and the quality of his opposition in gameweek 1, and he'd be right. However, everybody knows the real reason why he's so excited.
A breath of fresh air, Real Madrid can finally have a break from the poor standard of officiating in La Liga. Liga referees are a plague who zap the enjoyment out of watching what could be the best league in the world.
Carlo Ancelotti famously said that he prefers playing in Europe, due to the standard of refereeing being far better. Xabi Alonso refused to make this comparison, and he didn't outwardly bash any Liga refs. But we all know what he's thinking, he's only human after all.
UEFA referees are held to a much higher standard than Liga referees. They will mostly make the right calls, but they will overturn wrong calls. They are not too proud to do that, which is far more respectable than in Spain.
Unlike at the weekend against Real Sociedad, Real Madrid fans can expect fair treatment from the ultimate decision-makers. If Alonso won't, we'll say the quiet part out loud - Can we play in the Champions League every weekend too?
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