Barcelona superstar lavishes praise on Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso – ‘Going to be one of the best’ | OneFootball

Xabi Alonso has been at Real Madrid for a couple of months now, having taken over the reins from Carlo Ancelotti, who stepped down after the end of the 2024/25 La Liga season.

The 43-year-old manager is not the most experienced but did a brilliant job during his stint at Bayer Leverkusen, leading them to the Bundesliga title during the 2023/24 campaign.

Now, Alonso embarks on the biggest challenge of his burgeoning managerial career at Real Madrid.

Alonso receives Robert Lewandowski’s banking

With the La Liga season set to get underway, Xabi Alonso has received the backing of Barcelona veteran superstar Robert Lewandowski.

It must be remembered that Lewandowski and Alonso shared a dressing room together at Bayern Munich for three years between 2014 and 2017.

Having gotten a close look at Alonso, the player, Lewandowski believes that the 43-year-old Real Madrid head coach has what it takes to succeed as a manager at the highest level.

“He has the great future as a coach, for sure, not [only] from a tactical side, but also in terms of personality,” Lewandowski said of Alonso in an interview with ESPN.

“I know that the first season can be sometimes complicated … he may need time. But in the future, I know that he’s going to be a great coach, he’s going to be one of the best, maybe the best.”

Xabi Alonso backed to succeed by Lewandowski. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

“He’s the guy who can bring the best from every player, of that I’m sure,” Lewandowski added, further praising his former teammate.

After taking over, Alonso led Real Madrid to a semi-final finish at the FIFA Club World Cup during the summer, where they were eliminated by PSG.

Lewandowski on Lamine-Mastantuono comparisons

Real Madrid recently unveiled their latest summer signing, Franco Mastantuono, who was signed for a fee of over €60 million from River Plate.

Since his transfer, there have been comparisons between the Argentine teenager and Barcelona sensation Lamine Yamal, but Lewandowski was quick to downplay those.

“You cannot compare players, especially at a young age,” Lewandowski said. “For sure, they [Real Madrid] have pressure to find someone like Lamine.

“I think that [being Lamine] will be impossible and it’s better that you’re following your own way. Of course, for the fans, the expectation is always that we have to find someone like Lamine.”

Continuing, he added: “But you cannot find it because this kind of guy cannot be born in every city, every year. It’s like once in 10 years. It’s the same like in the past, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, they were completely different players.

“You cannot find the next Messi or you cannot find the next Cristiano Ronaldo because they are unique.”