Real Madrid players praise new coach Xabi Alonso

2025-06-18 02:37

On the eve of Real Madrid's Club World Cup, three first-team players, Brahim Dias, Dean Huissen and Dani Ceballos, all expressed high praise for current coach Xabi Alonso.

At the pre-match press conference, Diaz, Huissen and Ceballos were all present and were asked about Alonso. Diaz said: "He still has the quality and aura of a player."

"Sometimes he comes to training and looks like one of us. I think he still has a few more years left in him as a player. His intensity in training and his desire to win are contagious to the whole team."

As a young defender, Huisen gave positive comments from the perspective of the team atmosphere: "He is gradually conveying his ideas to us, and we are also absorbing them bit by bit. He brings not only tactics, but also a sense of confidence and belonging. The team atmosphere has become more united and more focused."

Ceballos, who just returned from injury, also felt the charm of Alonso's coaching: "He is a coach with the soul of a player. He makes you really devote yourself to training. He pays attention to positioning, frontcourt pressure and compact defense, which brings us a different football thinking."

“Although we didn’t train for long under his coaching and there was some pressure, as the game progressed, we understood his philosophy more and more.”

All three mentioned that Alonso is not only a technical and tactical instructor, but also a close and communicative leader. Alonso understands Real Madrid's culture and responsibilities, and knows how to awaken the inner potential of players.