Xabi Alonso has announced that he will step down as head coach of Bayer Leverkusen at the end of the season, amid growing speculation that he is set to become the next manager of Real Madrid.
The 43-year-old Spaniard, who has enjoyed a meteoric rise in coaching, revealed on Friday that the final two matches of the 2024–25 campaign will mark the end of his tenure with the German club.
BBC Sport columnist and Spanish football expert Guillem Balague reports that Alonso will replace Carlo Ancelotti at the Bernabéu, although the timing of the official announcement remains uncertain.
“This week the club and I have agreed that these two games are going to be my last as Bayer Leverkusen coach,” Alonso confirmed.
“It is not a moment to talk too much about the future because we want to have a proper farewell on Sunday here—for some players, for myself—and it is the right moment to announce it.”
Leverkusen host Borussia Dortmund on Sunday before closing out the Bundesliga season against Mainz on 17 May.
Alonso’s departure comes after a historic season in which he guided Leverkusen to a Bundesliga title without a single defeat and clinched the German Cup—an unprecedented double in the club’s history and a remarkable achievement for a manager in his first full season at the senior level.
Alonso, a former midfield maestro for Spain, Liverpool, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich, took over at Leverkusen in 2022 and has since transformed the club into a dominant force in German football.
He emphasized the emotional weight of his decision: “We have to enjoy this moment with mixed emotions. It is emotional. I spoke this morning with the players, the staff—so many people who have helped me during an unbelievable, fantastic three years.
“Now is a moment to share it with the fans in this stadium where I have lived great emotions and become what I am right now.”
The move to Real Madrid, where Alonso played between 2009 and 2014 and won a Champions League title, marks a return to familiar territory.
Last year, Alonso was heavily linked with managerial vacancies at Real Madrid, Liverpool, and Bayern Munich.
However, in March 2024, he had publicly committed to staying at Leverkusen, stating it was not the right time to move.
Leverkusen chief executive Fernando Carro echoed this sentiment just weeks ago, insisting Alonso was “comfortable” at the club and already involved in planning for the 2025–26 season.
However, Real Madrid’s evolving situation appears to have accelerated the timeline. Current manager Carlo Ancelotti, 65, is reportedly set for further talks with the Brazilian Football Confederation about taking over the Brazil national team ahead of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
Ancelotti, in his second stint with Madrid since 2021, has guided the team to multiple trophies but saw his side fall short in this season’s Champions League, failing to reach the semi-finals for only the third time in the past 12 years.
Madrid also trail Barcelona by four points in La Liga with four games to go, including this Sunday’s pivotal El Clasico clash.
As the football world awaits official confirmation from the Spanish giants, all eyes will be on Alonso’s final two games in Germany.
A triumphant farewell could further cement his legacy at Leverkusen—and set the stage for a new chapter in Madrid, where expectations will be sky-high.
