Former Bayern and Real Madrid player, Xabi Alonso, will celebrate his debut as a professional coach in the coming season. The 37-year-old takes over the second team of the first division football club, Real Sociedad, in the third highest Spanish league. This was announced by the club on Saturday.

He played for Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern. He is World and European champion and now also enters the coach business. Most recently, Bayern Munich's CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge had praised the former midfielder and brought Alonso into perspective as a potential Bayern coach. Rummenigge ennobled the Spaniard as the "smartest and best strategist I've ever seen in midfield".

Alonso is currently training as a trainer and previously worked in the Real Madrid academy. His active career began the Basque 1999 in the reserve of Real Sociedad.