From being mocked by fans with the nickname “Bayer Alwayslusen” to becoming the architects of one of the most remarkable unbeaten campaigns in Bundesliga history, Bayer Leverkusen went from perennial underachievers to champions of Germany. And at the heart of that transformation stood one man: Xabi Alonso.
Flashback time ..
When Alonso arrived at Leverkusen in October 2022, the club was struggling near the bottom of the Bundesliga. Few could have imagined what would follow. In the space of just a couple of seasons, Alonso transformed a talented but inconsistent side into a team that played with confidence, discipline and an almost relentless belief.
The 2023–24 season was the masterpiece.
Leverkusen didn’t merely win the Bundesliga—they did so without losing a single league match, becoming the first team in Bundesliga history to complete an entire season unbeaten.
And he wasn’t finished.
From Leverkusen to the Galacticos
Alonso was entrusted with the enormous task of taking charge of Real Madrid, a club where he had once been a midfield maestro and where expectations are measured not in victories, but in trophies.
But Alonso discovered that managing Real Madrid was an entirely different challenge from managing Leverkusen. The enormous expectations, the star-studded dressing room and the relentless demand for success create a pressure unlike almost anywhere else in football.
His magic spells seemed to lose their effect.
Perhaps the problem wasn’t the magician.
Perhaps it was the army.
Even the best manager in the world can struggle when his own legion refuses to march in the same direction. The chemistry, consistency and collective commitment that had made Alonso’s Leverkusen so extraordinary proved much harder to reproduce in Madrid.
And so, for a while, the Alonso fairytale appeared to have lost its way.
But Xabi Alonso Has Risen Again
It doesn’t matter now.
Because Xabi Alonso has dusted himself off, picked up his sword and returned to England.
Only this time, the grass is a shade of blue.
There is something beautifully circular about Alonso’s new chapter. He returns to English football not as the elegant midfielder who once graced the Liverpool midfield…
.. but as a manager carrying the enormous responsibility of rebuilding Chelsea.The player who once patrolled the midfield at Anfield now finds himself standing on the touchline, trying to orchestrate a different kind of footballing symphony.
And Chelsea will not be an easy assignment.
The club has enormous expectations, an enormous squad and an enormous hunger to return to the summit of English football. Patience is often in short supply at Stamford Bridge, while success is expected almost immediately.
But perhaps Alonso is perfectly suited to the challenge.
After all, he has already taken one club from the depths of disappointment to the heights of history.
It has now been almost a decade since Chelsea last lifted the Premier League trophy, their most recent triumph coming under Antonio Conte in the 2016–17 season.
Can he turn Chelsea from an expensive assortment of talent into a genuine championship-winning team?
Can he bring stability to a club that has experienced much turbulence?
And perhaps most importantly, can he make Chelsea believe again?
The answers won’t come overnight. Alonso will need time, patience and the backing of the players and the supporters.
But football has a funny way of rewarding those who dare to dream.
“Nothing great is easy, and nothing easy is great.”
Xabi Alonso has already proved that he can turn impossible dreams into reality.
Now, on the blue grass of Stamford Bridge, a new chapter begins. (LP)