Real Madrid Confidencial Like father, like son: Xabi Alonso 'copies' Mourinho's debut at Bernabéu
The Donostiarra made his debut at Bernabéu in a way very similar to the Portuguese coach's: pure coincidence
Xabi Alonso made his debut with a win at Bernabéu. Real Madrid earned its first three points of the season thanks to a goal from Kylian Mbappé at the start of the second half. The man from Tolosa is off to a good start and is already thinking about the next match, which will be on Sunday against Real Oviedo.
His debut is very similar to José Mourinho's in front of his fans. In fact, he was present in that starting eleven under the Portuguese manager and shared the midfield with Khedira. That afternoon, the Merengue side won, precisely, against Osasuna by one goal to nil.
The scorer was Ricardo Carvalho, and he did it four minutes earlier than Mbappé. The Frenchman scored in the 52nd minute, while the center-back found the net in the 48th. They were two very similar matches in which Real Madrid had possession of the ball at all times, although it was difficult to break down the opposing defense.
This way, it's been interesting that Xabi's debut on the Bernabéu bench has been very similar to Mourinho's. Both, as you all already know, get along wonderfully nowadays and connected very well at the club.
It is true that the man from Setúbal didn't win all the trophies he would have liked. He missed out on the European Cup, and it wasn't for lack of trying. He fell just short for three consecutive seasons.
However, he brought back the competitive spirit to a club that wasn't going through its best moment. It was a tough period in which Barça was dominating in Spain, while at the white house they couldn't get past the round of 16 in the Champions League. For this reason, Madridists remember Mourinho very fondly, as he won three trophies, including a spectacular league title.
Xabi Alonso's project
More than a decade later, it's Xabi Alonso's turn to make his own history on the Real Madrid bench. The Donostia-born coach arrives after a very bad year with Ancelotti on the bench. Therefore, he has the obligation to take the team back to the top and, above all, to compete for the "big-eared" trophy.
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