Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has insisted the “door is open” for Xabi Alonso to take charge of any club in the world following confirmation of his departure from Bayer Leverkusen.
It was revealed on Friday that Alonso will leave his role as Leverkusen manager this summer, with the announcement coming just hours after news of the Spaniard agreeing to a three-year contract with Madrid. A fee of between €5m-€10m (£4.2m-£8.5m) has been agreed between the two clubs.
The final details of Ancelotti’s summer departure are yet to be finalised but are seen as little more than a formality, with Alonso set to replace his former Bayern Munich boss in the Bernabeu dugout after the Club World Cup.
“I read that he’s leaving Bayer Leverkusen,” Ancelotti said of Alonso. “He’s done an incredible job and the doors are open to him because he’s proven to be one of the best in the world.”
Despite the increasing negativity surrounding Ancelotti’s time with Madrid, the boss reaffirmed his love for the La Liga side with a passionate warning to Alonso.
“If he [Alonso] represents Real Madrid better than anyone else, I don’t know that,” Ancelotti continued. “Real Madrid is a special club that requires a special attitude from everyone who works here: players, coach, staff.
“With this club, the honeymoon never ends. Real Madrid, like Milan before them, are clubs that remain in my heart for the time I’ve been here and for the relationships.
“When the pressure goes down, the affection rises. The honeymoon with Madrid will last until the last day of my life.”
