‘Madridistas’ have a few things on their minds at the moment: the necessary and much-desired extension of Cristiano Ronaldo’s deal at Real Madrid, the appointment of a new coach and the signing of Gareth Bale. However, one concern has been dealt with: AS has learnt that Xabi Alonso has decided to fulfil his current contract at Madrid (which runs out on 30 June 2014) and is prepared to sit down with the club to negotiate a renewal, thought likely to run until 2016.
In recent months, the Basque player has been dogged by a pelvic injury which has reduced his usual on-field influence. In February, he had a meeting with coach José Mourinho and since then has undergone a recovery process that has allowed him to play only in the key Champions League matches, the odd La Liga encounter and the Copa del Rey final. This permitted him to feature against Borussia Dortmund in the semi-final of Europe’s top club competition, as well as against Atlético Madrid. But he was a shadow of the splendid Xabi Alonso who was the fulcrum of a side that won La Liga with a record 121 goals and 100 points.
Having failed to shake off the problem, Xabi has chosen to pull out of the Confederations Cup, place himself in the hands of the Real Madrid medical staff and, thinking about his club, look at all the recovery options available. Right now, the debate is between surgery or a more conservative treatment. At 31 (he turns 32 on 25 November), the former Liverpool man has accepted that he has two or three years left at a mid-high level if he looks after his body.
Mourinho’s methods and footballing philosophy have meant that Xabi has always worked well with the coach. The Portuguese’s departure from Madrid had led to speculation linking the midfielder with a move to follow Mou to his next club. However, Alonso does not want to leave the Santiago Bernabéu with a whimper (he was not even able to figure in the final La Liga matches) and has opted to see out his contract and wait for the decision taken by the club.
The player did not like the rumours linking his future with that of Mourinho. Reports from the British press had even suggested that he could be in line for a move to Chelsea, allowing Madrid to receive a transfer fee (if he leaves next June without renewing his deal, he can go for free).
Club president Florentino Pérez met with Alonso and his agent, Iñaki Ibáñez, a few months ago, telling the pair that Madrid are highly satisfied with the player’s performance and that the club was inclined to respect his decision on his future, whatever it was. The possibility of a move to the United States, where the league is physically less demanding, was mooted. But Xabi wants to stay on at Madrid, and his decision is final. He’ll be at the Bernabéu until 2014 at least, and that’s good news.
