‘It Goes Both Ways’—Xabi Alonso Fires Back at Barcelona President After Real Madrid Jab

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·26. Juni 2025

‘It Goes Both Ways’—Xabi Alonso Fires Back at Barcelona President After Real Madrid Jab

After claiming there is a “feeling of power” at Real Madrid, Barcelona president Joan Laporta came under fire from Xabi Alonso.

Even though the next El Clásico is months away, Real Madrid and Barcelona are still battling off the pitch. Los Blancos might be on another continent, competing in the FIFA Club World Cup across the United States, but the tension between the two Spanish rivals is as palpable as ever.

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Laporta recently stoked the flames of the historic rivalry at a Barcelona event, telling Mundo Deportivo, “Madrid has a feeling of power, and we have a feeling of freedom, of identity.

“They’re more into signing players, and we have more players from La Masia.”

The comments come after Hansi Flick led a young Barcelona side, full of homegrown talent, to a domestic treble. La Masia products like Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsí fueled the Catalans’ dominance in Spain this past season, defeating Real Madrid in four Clásicos across all competitions.

Real Madrid, meanwhile, failed to win a major trophy in Carlo Ancelotti’s final campaign despite signing Kylian Mbappé as a free agent last summer.

New boss Alonso is the man tasked with getting Los Blancos back to Spanish and European glory, toppling Barcelona along the way. His first test comes at the Club World Cup, where he was asked about Laporta’s statements in a pre-match press conference.

“I imagine the context, and I don’t want to get into that, but we have a sense of democracy [at Real Madrid], of freedom as well, and I imagine they have some notion of being close to power too. It goes both ways,” Alonso said.

Alonso will not get a chance to respond on the pitch until the 2025–26 La Liga season gets underway. Until then, the new coach is focused on bringing silverware back to the Spanish capital.

“[Real Madrid is the] the most prestigious team in the world. Its history speaks for itself, wherever you go. And this is what makes Madrid great,” Alonso added.

“These are factors that help Madrid achieve more, help push the club forward. It’s a privilege and an honor to be part of this club. I will try to achieve our goals and enhance our legend.”