Xabi Alonso Given Real Madrid Reality Check by Legend

The Spaniard’s under the pump at the Bernabéu and will continue to be for weeks to come.

Xabi Alonso remains in the spotlight. / Alberto Gardin/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Legendary former Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos says Xabi Alonso has the hardest job in football—because winning still doesn’t offer any guarantees in the Spanish capital.

The 15-time Champions League winners have a global fanbase and are regarded as the biggest club in the world, ahead of Premier League giants Manchester United. It means expectations in Madrid are unfathomably high, with supporters expecting every available trophy to be won—a sentiment that is usually shared by the board of directors.

Only Zinedine Zidane and Carlo Ancelotti have shown the grit, determination and fight to successfully manage Madrid in the 21st century, delivering six Champions League crowns between them and a handful of La Liga title successes.

Alonso took the manager’s job in the summer, with Ancelotti departing after four years to take over as Brazil national team boss, but his tenure has been dogged by reports of in-fighting and discontent from supporters over his tactics and style of play. Nevertheless, the Spaniard has won 22 of his 31 games in charge, boasting a 70.4% win record.

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Kroos: Alonso Knew the Pressure He’d Be Under

Toni Kroos was a serial winner at Real Madrid. / IMAGO/Ulmer

At most teams, that would be deemed a superb record. At Real Madrid, it’s no more than par for the course, particularly when rivals Barcelona are four points ahead at the top of La Liga heading into the traditional winter break. It’s why Kroos, who played a starring role in the vast majority of Zidane and Ancelotti’s Champions League successes, thinks Alonso’s got the toughest managerial gig in the game.

“The hardest thing as a coach is coaching Madrid, it’s not easy. Here if you win matches, no one is really happy, there are few teams like that,” Kroos said in an appearance on Brazil legend Romário’s YouTube channel.

“If you draw or lose, the club is not used to losing. They criticize you very quickly. The coach has little time. You can’t think about how you want to play in a year or two, you need results.

“I am positive that Xabi is very good and has the quality needed to coach Madrid. He already knows what Madrid means. He already knew this could happen. You have to give him time and stay calm, but this is difficult at Madrid.”

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Kroos Predicts Bright Real Madrid Future for Endrick

Endrick’s slow start at Madrid has led to a loan move abroad. / Alvaro Medranda/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images

Alonso’s long-term Bernabéu future will continue to dominate headlines for the weeks and months to come, but one question that he won’t have to answer for the foreseeable future is why Endrick continues to be overlooked.

The talented Brazilian barely got a sniff of first team minutes under Alonso, having endured a similarly restrictive role in Ancelotti’s final season in charge. But in Kroos’s estimation, Endrick’s recent loan move to Ligue 1 and Lyon could be the best thing that could happen to him—the German recounting his own experience at Bayern Munich when explaining why things could still work out for the 19-year-old.

“The most important thing for Endrick is to play, and if you don’t have the chance to play much at Madrid, the best thing is to go to another club on loan to play,” he said.

“I thought the same thing when I was 18. I was at Bayern and decided to go to Leverkusen. The same thing will happen to Endrick.”

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