He achieved something historic with Bayer 04 Leverkusen, and at the same time he impresses as a coach and as a person: Xabi Alonso is the “Personality of the Year” for the editorial team.
This time there was no discussion before the vote: the vote, for the 35th time since 1990, was as clear as in only a few cases before. The head coach led Bayer 04 Leverkusen to win the championship and the DFB Cup. Nationally, the team remained unbeaten in the 2023/24 season. In the Europa League, the winning streak only ended in the final against Atalanta Bergamo. With its current performances, the Bayer team is continuing this fantastic journey almost seamlessly.
Equally important to the editorial team was the exemplary attitude of the 43-year-old former world-class footballer, who always put the Leverkusen team and his team behind the team, but never himself, in the spotlight. This was already the case after Alonso’s triumphs in World and European Championships, in the Champions League, and in national titles with Liverpool FC, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. He has retained this attitude as a coach, and that makes him stand out in a pleasant way.
Alonso succeeds Heidenheim’s head coach Frank Schmidt. The first in the long line was Franz Beckenbauer, the head of the German national team at the end of the successful World Cup year of 1990.
From the outset, this honor was not only about sporting results and achievements. It was and is about a personality who has made an outstanding impact on German football or for German football through their work and attitude.
Lahm and Schmidt offer their congratulations
Philipp Lahm, Alonso’s captain at FC Bayern, “He is a modest person. And: you can see his handwriting on the pitch. That’s always a good sign. Playing a season without defeat is absolutely outstanding.”
Alonso’s predecessor Schmidt says about the honoree: “He impressed me deeply – as a person. The fact that Xabi shows respect for everyone, despite all the great successes he has achieved, is not a matter of course. The aura he radiates is something we could all do with more of in our society.” It is not a matter of course for a great footballer to also become a great coach. ‘And he undoubtedly is.’