In Germany and Liverpool, XABI ALONSO is the talk of the town.
The team is leading the Bundesliga by seven points under the direction of Bayer Leverkusen’s manager.
Xabi Alonso is top of the Bundesliga and is the man linked to replace Jurgen Klopp.
But how about the man away from football?
They are now very much on track to win the Bundesliga for the first time in their 120-year existence. Alonso has developed a solid coaching reputation thanks to his creative and appealing style of football. It is unclear if he will be the right man to succeed leaving Jurgen Klopp at Anfield because there are a lot of other options to take into account.
However, what about the individual who isn’t near the pitch or tactic board?
Star-crossed lovers
Alonso is married to Nagore Aranburu. The couple tied the knot all the way back in 2009, a month before Alonso left Liverpool for Real Madrid. They met when Alonso was still a teenager and playing for the boyhood club Real Sociedad.
Alonso and Nagore have had three children together, Jontxe born in 2008, Ane born in 2010, and Emma born in 2013.
Nagore is credited with her work as a fashion designer, actress, and model. However, one particularly amusing story came from her time spent in Liverpool as a hotel receptionist. Peter Crouch, an Alonso teammate and former Reds star, recalls his first encounter with Nagore.
When Crouch first saw Nagore, he declared his love for her, but Jamie Carragher and other Liverpool teammates later informed him that she was seeing Alonso. “I stayed at the Hope Street Hotel when I signed with Liverpool,” he stated. “A girl at reception was so attractive that I couldn’t believe she was always grinning at me.”
“Honestly, I think I have a shout here because she’s so beautiful, I told the guys in training.”
“Tell them again, Crouchie,” Jamie Carragher called a few other veteran players over.
“She turned out to be the partner of Xabi Alonso. She was working on honing her English abilities a little. He handled it nicely. She was also. Carra to a lesser extent.”
Even though they lead hectic lives, Alonso and Nagore have consistently made time for each other. During Oktoberfest celebrations, Alonso and Nagore were a common sight while they were at Bayern Munich. The two were seen strolling along the beach after Alonso’s football retirement in 2017 while on a family vacation in California. Alonso has also disclosed that the couple enjoys taking family road trips up mountains and visiting museums.
Petrolhead and modeling
Perhaps it is an echo of his sleek playing style, but whenever Alonso is pictured in a car it is one of elegant design.
And his fashion sense goes in the same direction.
Alonso loves getting behind the wheel of classic beamers, with a number of Instagram posts showing him driving a variety of classic cars.
During his time in Munich, Alonso modeled for Porsche and Adidas as they launched the Porsche Design Sport SS17 and sportswear range.
However, when going to training he would drive a rather inconspicuous Audi, rather than his classic Mercedes 190 SL convertible.
Cost estimates for that car today put it between £70,000 to £166,000.
In an interview with Mr Porter, Alonso – who has been likened to James Bond – is seen driving a Porsche 356 and not looking one bit out of place.
One thing Alonso can’t stand is the idea of tattoos on his body. In a 2016 interview with Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Alonso said: “They [friends] know that they have zero chance with me.
“By the way, I am not against tattoos in principle. It may well be that this looks cool on others. But not for me. I just can’t imagine myself with piercings, chains or anything else. Obviously, I’m hopelessly old-fashioned.”
Alonso is also pretty fed up with the idea that footballers have bad taste in music and TV shows, saying: “It’s the eternal cliché that footballers don’t have taste.
“I think that’s pretty unfair. But I already know that, I’ve gotten used to it.”
He has previously raved about Һit shows like True Detective and Fargo, describing them as “masterpieces”, while also revealing bands he has listened to.
The Shins, The Flaming Lips, The Delgados, The Velvet Underground, and Lou Reed to nɑme a few.
Special moments are like watch links
Despite his often suave appearance, Alonso is not one who often dresses to impress. But when he does, he goes all out, and watches are the crown jewel of his wardrobe.
Alonso has likened special moments in his life and career to links in a watch.
He told The Journal: “For me, every special moment is bound to be linked to a particular watch, and whenever I put it on I’m transported back to that moment – such as when we won the Champions League with Liverpool or the World Cup with Spain.”
Watches in his collection include Rolex, Patek Philippe, Franck Muller, Audemars Piguet, and Panerai – not that he has a particular desire to show off such accessories for feɑr of coming across as vulgɑr.
However, his favorite and most special member of his watch collection was a gift from Nagora on their wedding day – an IWC Ingenieur – worth £10,500 according to Watches of Switzerland.
For Alonso, the stunning watch “represents the fact that I had found a woman who thought about me, about what I like, and my personality.
“I don’t wear it much, just on really special occasions.”
Alonso says he likes IWC watches in general because “they’re not overly showy, attention-grabbing watches” and “have a certain sophistication without being flashy”.
The old saying goes: “You can tell a lot about a man from the shoes he’s wearing and the watch he has on.”
And it seems for Alonso, simple but beautiful efficiency runs through everything he does.”