Bayern Munich will be losing a legendary player in Xabi Alonso. The Spanish midfield general has announced his decision to retire at the end of the season.
Lived it. Loved it.
Farewell beautiful game. pic.twitter.com/1aSN7GGNzZ— Xabi Alonso (@XabiAlonso) March 9, 2017
Bayern now have two absolute legends of the game on their roster that are calling it quits at the end of the season. First, it was the Bavarian's captain Phillip Lahm and Alonso will now join him.
Such has been Alonso's stunning career that there is nothing else for him to win that he hasn't already. During his time playing for Spain, he lifted the World Cup in 2010 when Spain defeated the Netherlands, and he won successive European Championships (2008 and 2012).
Along with his national success, Alonso is a two-time Champions League winner with Real Madrid and Liverpool. During his time with Liverpool, Alonso also won the English FA Cup in 2006.
After winning trophies with Real Madrid and Liverpool, Alonso continued his success with Bayern Munich. He is a two-time Bundesliga winner and the 2015-16 German Cup champion.
Along with all of these team awards, Alonso was also awarded the Spanish Footballer of the Year award in 2003.
Alonso is a bonafide champion. He will truly be missed after this season and not just from a Munich perspective, but from the entire sport as a whole. When you have a player who has found success everywhere that he has played, he automatically joins the ranks of the greatest soccer players in history.
"It wasn't an easy decision to make, but I believe it's the right time. I always thought it would be better to quit sooner rather than later. I still feel good, but I believe this is the right moment," Alonso said.
"I wanted to end my career still at the highest level, and Bayern is the highest level. I'm incredibly proud and happy to play for FC Bayern and to be part of this family."
It looks like Alonso will be receiving some more hardware this year. Bayern Munich sit alone at the top of the Bundesliga table with no competition in sight. Along with this, the Bavarians just dismantled Arsenal in the Champions League round of 16. Nobody would begrudge the likes of Alonso and Lahm one last success in Europe's ultimate club competition.
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