Xabi Alonso |
Spanish World Cup winner and double European champion Xabi
Alonso is set to retire at the end of the season when his Bayern Munich
contract expires, a report in Germany said.
Leaders Bayern kick off the second half of the Bundesliga
season at Freiburg on Friday in their bid for a fifth straight German league
title with the 35-year-old Alonso poised to end his playing career in June.
It would mean the German giants could lose significant
experience for next season with club captain and ex-Germany skipper Philipp
Lahm also reportedly considering retiring in June to take over as Bayern’s team
manager. According to Sport Bild, Alonso has already told club bosses he does
not want to sign a contract extension.
Having joined Bayern for the 2014/15 season, Alonso is
bidding to finish with a third straight German league title with Munich
currently three points clear in the table.
Alonso has won 16 titles for clubs and country, including
the 2010 World Cup and the 2008 and 2012 European championships with Spain,
making 114 international appearances.
He retired from international duty in August 2014.
He has won the Champions league twice with two different
clubs.
He started out at Real Sociedad and joined Liverpool in 2004
after being named Spanish player of the year in 2003.
He was part of the Liverpool side which famously won the
2005 Champions League title in a penalty shoot-out, coming back from 3-0 down
against AC Milan in Istanbul.
After five years and 143 English Premier League appearances
with Liverpool, Alonso joined Real Madrid in 2009.
He again won the Champions League in 2014 when current
Bayern coach Carlo Ancelotti steered Real to a 4-1 win over Atletico Madrid
before Alonso transferred to Germany for the 2014/15 season.
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