Xabi Alonso has announced that he is set to retire, prompting an outpouring of tributes from a number of Liverpool fans.
Xabi Alonso
Liverpool fans have been reacting on Twitter to the news that Xabi Alonso will retire from football when his Bayern Munich contract expires at the end of the season.
Alonso has enjoyed one of the most decorated careers possible, having won league titles with both Bayern and Real Madrid beforehand, as well as winning two European Championships and a World Cup as part of that incredibly special Spain side.
He was also a part of the Madrid team that won the Champions League in 2014, but that night in Lisbon will surely pale in comparison – amongst Liverpool supporters anyway – to the incredible game in Istanbul nine years before.
Alonso was a part of the Reds side that somehow came from 3-0 down in their final with AC Milan to clinch the trophy for the fifth time in the club’s history. It was the Spaniard’s goal that completed a stunning six minutes where they managed to get back on level terms, before they secured the win on penalties.
Though the Premier League title he deserved never came during his time at Anfield, he departed from Merseyside having left a major impression and having rocked the Kop on a number of occasions.
But at the age of 35, he confirmed on his own Twitter account that he will now retire from the game.
It is fitting that a player of his quality will call it a day while it is clear that he still has the ability to make an impact at the highest level. But even if he had carried on until he was past it, it still seems unlikely that Liverpool fans would have anything negative to say about him judging by their reaction to the news of his retirement.
Here is the best of the reaction…
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