A quarter of a century ago, a Real Sociedad legend donned the txuri urdin jacket for the first time and played his first professional match in his successful career. At the age of majority and 31 behind him, Xabi Alonso jumped on the green to play in the second leg of the round of 32 of the Cup against Logroñés from the Second Division. But it was not the dream debut for the Basque footballer, because the Riojans left the team Javier Clemente in Anoeta.
In the first leg played in Las Gaunas, the locals won with a score of 2-1 and in the second leg Real needed to react. To do this, coach Txuri Urdin lined up some players from the quarry. This is the case of Xabi Alonso either Joseba Llorenteamong others. The Tolosa midfielder played 76 minutes and was replaced by Juan Gomez. From the bench, he saw the goal Logrones in the final minute that dealt the final blow to the tie. That day, Anoeta dismissed its players with a loud whistle and the player from Tolosa did not play again in the 1999/2000 season.
In order to add minutes, the following season he went to Eibar, where he stayed for half of the season. his father, Perico Alonsotook the reins of the Txuri Urdin bench but they did not coincide, because in January 2001 the Welshman arrived John Benjamin Toshack in his third blue and white period. Under the command of the British coach he put on a lot of weight and began to show glimpses of his immense quality. including French Reynald Denoueix He was a great protagonist in the runner-up season and the following campaign in which Real played in the Champions League. His good performance at Real got him noticed by Liverpool and in 2004/2005 he made the trip to England. In total, with the txuri urdin jacket, he played 124 games, scored ten goals and distributed nine assists.
Over the years, that young man who took the Anoeta green on December 1, 1999, established himself among the elite of world football, lifting two Champions Leagues, a World Cup and two European Championships, with many more titles. And he became one of the best midfielders in the world. Once retired from football, he returned to Zubieta to coach Sanse and achieved a creditable promotion to the Second Division. Currently, at 43 years old, he continues to make history on the bench of Bayer Leverkusen and is one of the most sought after coaches on the market.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
