Alonso to leave Bayer Leverkusen at end of season – Nsemkeka

Alonso to leave Bayer Leverkusen at end of season – Nsemkeka

Xabi Alonso will leave Bayer Leverkusen at the end of the season, amid reports he will succeed Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid.

Last year, Alonso, 43, led Leverkusen to the double of a Bundesliga title – without losing a game – and the German Cup in his first full season as a senior club manager.

The former Spain international played for Real between 2009 and 2014 following a five-year spell at Liverpool, before ending his playing career after three years at Bayern Munich in 2017.

“This week the club and I have agreed that these two games are going to be my last as Bayer Leverkusen coach,” Alonso said on Friday.

“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.

“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.”

Leverkusen host Borussia Dortmund on Sunday before concluding the season at Mainz on 17 May.