Xabi Alonso holds a special place in the hearts of many Liverpool fans, with the former Spanish midfielder now succeeding in a new stage in his career as a manager.
The Basque-born coach last season won the domestic double with Bayer Leverkusen undefeated as Alonso also took the Bundesliga side to the UEFA Europa League final before falling to Atalanta 3-0 in Dublin.
With Alonso returning to Liverpool this season with Leverkusen in the UEFA Champions League, the former Real Madrid and Bayern Munich maestro has made quite the name for himself since stepping into the world of management, where a return to Los Blancos is seemingly on the cards.
Yet when naming his dream five-a-side team in 2017, Alonso omitted one Liverpool player who he once mentioned was his favourite teammate during his entire stint with the Reds.
READ MORE: Xabi Alonso once suggested Rafa Benitez’s Liverpool did something better than Spain’s World Cup winning team
Photo credit should read PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images
Photo credit should read PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images
Jamie Carragher named as Xabi Alonso’s favourite Liverpool teammate
Speaking to the Guardian in 2016, Alonso hailed Jamie Carragher as his favourite Liverpool teammate, with the former midfielder sharing how much the two got along and how they connected over their shared love of football.
Alonso said: “I liked Carra the most, he is the biggest Scouser in the world. We got on well from day one. I think he realised that I loved football and he loves football too. We would watch games together and talk about it every day.
“I think he respected that I would enter arguments with him. He was always very loud; you could hear his voice above everyone else’s. I would say: ‘Carra, shut the —- up, you have no idea!’ He liked all of that, the confrontation.”
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Despite this bond, though, Carragher was absent from Alonso’s dream five-a-side team, yet a Liverpool legend did make the final team alongside the former Spanish international.
Who did Xabi Alonso name in his dream five-a-side team?
Having played for three of the biggest teams in Europe in Liverpool, Madrid and Bayern, it’s perhaps no surprise that Alonso chose to leave out Carragher for a more well-rounded player, with the Basque-born maesto opting for Sergio Ramos in defence.
Naming Steven Gerrard in the midfield and Cristiano Ronaldo in the attack, Alonso’s five-a-side team is one that is hard to beat, with Manuel Neuer rounding off the team in goal for the former Liverpool superstar.
Alonso said: “We will start with a keeper, so we will start with Manuel Neuer in goal. I need a defender, a proper defender, I think Sergio Ramos can do the job. Midfielder partner with me? We will go with Steven Gerrard. And a striker, I think the one that scores the goals is Cristiano Ronaldo, that’s the one.”