Xabi Alonso To Retire At The End Of The Season

Bayern Munich midfielder Xabi Alonso may retire from professional football at the end of this season, according to Sport Bild, and it is believed he has already informed Bayern hierarchy regarding his decision.

Alonso, 35, has stepped in the final months of his current contract at Bundesliga leaders Bayern, the club he joined from Real Madrid in 2014.

“Of course, there’s something in my head,” Alonso was quoted by the German outlet as stating when asked about his plans beyond the summer of 2017.

Citing its own sources, Sport Bild then suggested that Alonso already informed the club ahead of the winter break about his decision to retire, following 18 years of professional football, in which he won two Champions League titles with Liverpool and Real Madrid, and a World Cup and European Championship with Spain.

The Spaniard’s achievements at Anfield handed him a £30 million move to Real in 2009.

The former Liverpool star is a regular in Carlo Ancelotti’s team, starting 13 of their 16 Bundesliga games so far.

However, Bayern, who gave Alonso a new one-year contract in late 2015, still believe that the Spaniard might reconsider his decision to retire, especially since new boss Carlo Ancelotti is “a huge fan of the key player,” the outlet claimed.

Bayern Munich will start the second half of the Bundesliga season at Freiburg on Friday in their fight for a fifth straight German league crown, with Alonso poised to end his playing career in June.

 

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