On Sunday, Real Madrid finally made the announcement that Xabi Alonso will be the new first-team manager, taking over from Carlo Ancelotti.
The 43-year-old legendary midfielder returns to the Santiago Bernabeu after excelling during his stint at Bayer Leverkusen where he won the Bundesliga, the DFB Pokal, and the German Super Cup.
Alonso’s first message to fans
Following the official announcement on Sunday, Alonso arrived at Real Madrid facilities today where he signed his contract with president Florentino Perez and posed for pictures before being presented as the new manager.
Soon after, the club legend sent his first message to the Madridistas having taken over the reins of the team.
“Hello, Real Madrid fans! I’m here. Very happy to begin this new era, full of enthusiasm and energy. I send you all my best. Hala Madrid!”
🤳 ¡El primer mensaje de @XabiAlonso como nuestro nuevo entrenador!
🆕 #WelcomeXabi pic.twitter.com/Q4d4o6RmhR
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) May 26, 2025
The presentation ceremony began with the screening of a compilation video of Alonso’s best moments with Real Madrid, followed by clips of his successful stint as Leverkusen manager.
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez then welcomed Alonso with a touching speech, following which the Spanish tactician addressed those present at the presentation ceremony.
“Good morning. Without a doubt, for me, it’s a very special day. A day I’ll mark on my calendar for life. I’m very happy to be here, in what I feel is my home,” he said, via RMTV.
Continuing, he added: “The connection with Real Madrid has never ceased to exist, and since I walked into Valdebebas an hour and a half ago, that feeling has been reborn. I have the feeling that this is the beginning of a new era.”
“Florentino, thank you very much for your confidence. I feel that the fans, that Real Madrid fans, are excited to begin this new era, to grow and to make the history of this club even greater. Thanks also to my family, who are the ones who always support me.”
Alonso then went on to pay tribute to his predecessor Carlo Ancelotti, saying: “Before I start talking about the new phase, I don’t want to stop talking about the phase that has come to an end. Carlo was my coach, a great person and a great influence.
Without his mastery, I probably wouldn’t be here. I take over from him and I take up his legacy with a lot of honour and a lot of pride. I hope I can live up to expectations and take the club to all the places where we all believe we can do it.”
Looking forward to his tenure, he added: “We are starting a period in which I feel that the club and the fans are united. We have a great team, we have fantastic players and a very good potential. That gives me reason to come here with a lot of energy and enthusiasm.
“We have the conviction that we can achieve important things, worthy of Real Madrid and these European Cups. We want the fans to be proud, that we transmit emotions, joy. We want people to go to the stadium to enjoy themselves.
“If we manage to ignite that, we will have an unstoppable force. We are convinced that we can do beautiful things. Thank you very much, Hala Madrid.”