Childhood friends Xabi Alonso (left) and Mikel Arteta in their days with Liverpool and Everton. Photo: Alex Livesey/Getty

Xabier Alonso Olano (Basque: [ˈʃaβi aˈlons̺o oˈlano], Spanish: [ˈʃaβj aˈlonso oˈlano]; born 25 November 1981) is a Spanish professional football manager and former player from Tolosa, Spain, who is currently the head coach of Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen.

Apr 14, 2024 · The journey from childhood friends to football's managerial elite is a tale of two of the game's brightest minds - Mikel Arteta and Xabi Alonso. From their early days playing together on the beaches of San Sebastian, they've risen through the ranks to become potential title winners in their respective leagues.

Jan 27, 2024 · Following Alonso's retirement from football in 2017 the pair were spotted enjoying a walk on the beach during a family holiday to California. Alonso has also revealed the pair love a trip to the museum and going for a mountain drive with the family.

23 likes, 0 comments - xabi_the_golden on June 19, 2024: "Beach days are back! We had so much fun with our new friend and we ran into an old friend! Such a fun day with mom!".

Every day, we were taking our skateboards down to the beach to play tennis, to surf, and of course to play footbal" - Xabi Alonso. Great post, OP. Love the full quote. It’s always great to hear about Arteta from other coaches. Think they’re both destined for great things:

Apr 14, 2024 · Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta and Bayer Leverkusen's Xabi Alonso are two of the most highly-rated young managers in the game and their footballing journey began as childhood friends in Spain

Jul 26, 2017 · Alonso has also been surfing along the state's iconic coastline, famous for catching waves. Alonso and Aranburu were married in 2009 and have had three children together.

Sep 26, 2023 · Alonso's coaching legacy was set in stone in Germany and throughout Europe and the question on everyone's lips now is, what's next for Bayer's brilliant Basque tactician. bundesliga.com charts...

Jan 28, 2024 · Following Alonso's retirement from football in 2017 the pair were spotted enjoying a walk on the beach during a family holiday to California. Alonso has also previously opened up about how...