Xabi Alonso says his Real Madrid exit came earlier than expected

Xabi Alonso believes his departure from Real Madrid came earlier than he had expected. Now in charge at Chelsea, he has reflected on that separation as he begins a new project this season. He left Bayer Leverkusen and spent time away from management before taking charge of the London club.

“I’m left with the feeling that it ended a little earlier than expected, without knowing whether it was going to end well or badly. It was in the middle of the season, when we were still in La Liga and the Champions League,” he said.

The Spaniard insists he holds no resentment. He described managing Real Madrid as an education, given the club’s scale and distinctive environment. “Managing in Madrid is an experience. Madrid is special in everything, a little different from other clubs. I learned from that, and I don’t look back with anger. I think: well, I tried, I tried to do my best,” he said.

In explaining his move to Chelsea, Alonso put more emphasis on the timing than on any prior connection to Stamford Bridge. “It was about the timing. For me, it was the right timing after Leverkusen. After Madrid, I had my time off and I wanted to have that good feeling, that good connection about where to go,” he said. He acknowledged that he had no previous link to Chelsea, but saw potential to begin a journey together and help shape the club’s direction.

Alonso said the project would require patience, with the club’s ambitions reaching beyond immediate results. He also stressed that being involved in important decisions with the ownership and sporting leadership mattered to him.

There have been highs and lows for Chelsea at the start of the season; Saturday’s 2-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge was one of the setbacks. Afterwards, Alonso accepted that his team had not performed at its best. The longer-term challenge is to build a side capable of competing consistently for major honours; Alonso sees his new role as an opportunity to work on terms he believes better suit his approach, with patience and shared decision-making at the heart of the plan.