Xabi Alonso was devastated when he realised Real Madrid had drawn Liverpool in the Champions League…
A frustrated Xabi Alonso has revealed that he was upset to miss out on an emotional return to Anfield this season, after leaving Real Madrid for Bayern Munich.
Alonso’s former club were drawn against us in the Champions League group stage, as we returned to Europe’s elite competition for the first time in five years, and the 32-year-old admits he couldn’t believe his bad luck.
The former Spanish international, who famously scored the third goal in our historic Champions League triumph of 2005, was talking with another hero of Istanbul, the Daily Mail‘s Jamie Carragher.
With his hands over his face, Alonso described the moment he heard of this year’s draw: “Oh my gosh! I was in the middle of doing my medical here. I came out from the scan and saw it…”
“Did you try and fail it!?” Carragher joked in response.
Laughing, Alonso added: “There was a shock! I was thinking, ‘I had a chance to go back to Anfield… aye, yai, yai’! I would have loved that. I’d love to play there once more.
“This season in the knockout stages? You never know. I still feel I have a special connection with Liverpool fans. Remember those nights we had? We felt we could beat anyone in Europe. Winning in Istanbul was beyond my dreams.”
A potential knockout stage meeting with Alonso’s Bayern is a distinct possibility. The German giants top their Champions League group and have already sealed first place with two games to spare, while wins over Ludogorets and Basel will put us through in second alongside Madrid.