Heart-stopping: This was Xabi Alonso's last season as a Real Madrid player (and for La Roja).

"Yes, it's true, this third season has been a failure. For any other coach it would be a good season. For me, no. For me, it's the worst season of my career . I've never failed to win a major title." José Mourinho finds it hard to admit, but in the end, in the press conference after the lost Copa del Rey final, he has to admit that his 2012-2013 season hasn't been what he would have liked.

And to think that it had started in the best possible way , beating Tito Vilanova 's Barça in the Spanish Super Cup, the third title of the Special One era, the third title for Xabi Alonso . On 23 August 2012, Real Madrid took the lead at the Camp Nou with a goal from Cristiano Ronaldo ; however, the Blaugranas turned the score around with three goals in just over 20 minutes, through Pedro , Messi and Xavi . In the 85th minute, Ángel Di María put the scoreboard back on track by making it 2-3, leaving the final wide open. At the Bernabéu , Gonzalo Higuain and Cristiano Ronaldo put Real Madrid ahead, Messi reduced the deficit, but the game ended 2-1, with Barça losing the trophy: Madrid's away goal counted double.

After the Super Cup, Real Madrid struggled to find their rhythm in La Liga and would never lead the table through the 38 matchdays of the championship. On May 11, 2013, Barcelona, ​​led by Tito Vilanova, Messi, and Neymar, were crowned champions of the Spanish League with three matchdays remaining. They finished the season with 100 points, leaving Real Madrid 15 points behind in second place. In the Champions League , for the third consecutive year, the Merengues fell in the semifinals , this time against Borussia Dortmund , who thrashed the Setúbal coach's team 4-1 in the first leg and conceded two goals in the second leg at the Bernabéu, but still qualified for the final.

The latest Real Madrid debacle comes in the Copa del Rey. Madrid qualified after beating Barcelona in the semifinals (4-2 on aggregate), but on May 18, in the final at the Santiago Bernabéu, after 120 minutes of play, they lost 2-1 to Atlético Madrid . And to top it all off, Mourinho's season has been compounded by internal disputes with captain Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos , who is calling on the president to dismiss the Portuguese player.

On May 20, Florentino Pérez announced José Mourinho's departure at the end of the season. On June 3, the Portuguese manager returned to the Chelsea dugout and, in an interview, settled scores with Cristiano Ronaldo and Pepe , with whom he had had a dispute.

If The Special One's season has been a failure, Xabi Alonso's has been a very difficult one . Groin pain has forced him to miss several league and Champions League matches, and in the final stretch of the season, he is unable to perform as he would have liked.

On June 2, 2013, it was officially announced that the Tolosar native would not be part of the Spanish team to Brazil for the Confederations Cup due to the groin pain he had been suffering from for months. Five days later, he underwent surgery at the Hernienzentrum clinic in Munich by Dr. Ulrike Muschawek , a specialist in this type of injury. He will need two to three months of rehabilitation to be fully fit. To speed up the process, the Gipuzkoan native is taking a personal trainer with him during his family vacation to maintain muscle tone and be in good condition for the preseason.

On July 26, Xabi returned to training with Real Madrid. He participated in a training match organized by the coaching staff. This was the first time he had joined a group training session under Carlo Ancelotti and his assistant coach, Zinedine Zidane . The Italian coach had been presented as the new Real Madrid manager on June 25, promising a joyful season for the Real Madrid fans.

On August 18, the first matchday of the 2013-2014 La Liga season, Real Madrid won 2-1 at home against Betis. Xabi, who initially seemed likely to be called up by Ancelotti, did not play. He could play his first minutes after surgery on August 22 at the Bernabéu Trophy. However, the day before, during morning training at Valdebebas, Alonso fractured the fifth metatarsal in his right foot . A serious injury. The estimated recovery time is two to three months. On October 15, at a fashion brand launch, Xabi explained: "It's a complicated injury. I'm just starting to touch the ball; I still have to try before I can return to the team. I don't set deadlines for playing again; I don't want to make any mistakes, but I hope to make my debut soon this season. It all depends on how I feel day by day; I'm making progress, I still have a long way to go."

On October 30, 166 days after his last official match with Real Madrid (the Copa del Rey final on May 18, 2012), the Tolosar native returned to the Bernabéu for the league match against Betis. He came on in the second half, replacing Asier Illarramendi . He played 27 minutes of a match that ended with a flurry of goals for Real Madrid (7-3). At the end of the match he declared: "I'm very grateful to the fans and happy to be back . Now I want to gradually get back into the swing of things!" 45 minutes against Rayo Vallecano, 70 minutes against Real Sociedad, 71 minutes in the 2-2 Champions League draw against Juventus and on November 23rd, at full speed against Almería, Alonso played the full 90 minutes and was once again the conductor of the Real Madrid midfield. Ten days later Xabi became a father for the third time , with the birth of Emma : "Nice to meet you," the Basque wrote in a photo on his Twitter account. At the end of 2013, Real Madrid was third in La Liga, five points behind Barça and Atlético Madrid, and in the Champions League they had qualified for the round of 16, where they would face Schalke 04.

January 8, 2014: "This will be my home for two more years . It's a pleasure to tell you. Very, very happy! Hala Madrid!" With this message, accompanied by a photo of the Bernabéu, Xabi Alonso announced on Twitter the renewal of his contract with the Merengue team. Minutes later, the club confirmed the news: "Real Madrid CF announces the extension of Xabi Alonso's contract for two more seasons, until June 30, 2016." There is also the option of one more season. It is the end of the torment he has been living with for months . There had been talk of the possibility of the Tolosarra signing for Mourinho's Chelsea or returning to Liverpool; Real Sociedad fans also hoped that at the end of the 2013-2014 season he could sign for the txuri-urdin to end his career. There were constant rumors, even a significant offer from Juventus; However, in the end, Xabi opted for continuity . His salary increased ( from 4 million net to 6 million ), he has the possibility of wearing the white shirt until he is 34; he has earned the trust of the fans, who have called for his renewal in recent matches, and that of Ancelotti. The Italian coach declares: "He is one of the best midfielders in the world, and that is why we want him to renew."

February is a good month for Real Madrid. The Whites eliminated Cholo Simeone 's Atlético de Madrid in the Copa del Rey semi-final. On the 26th, still in February, they beat former Real Madrid manager Raúl Schalke 04 6-1 in Gelsenkirchen and finished the tie with a 3-1 home victory on March 18. In the quarter-finals, they took revenge on Jürgen Klopp 's Borussia Dortmund. They lost 3-0 in the first leg at home, then 2-0 against the Yellow Wall at Signal Iduna Park, but still qualified.

On April 16, at Mestalla, Real Madrid faces Barça in the Copa del Rey final. Ángel Di María put his team ahead; Marc Bartra equalized in the second half, but five minutes from time, Gareth Bale sealed the 2-1 victory, giving Real Madrid the title. This is Xabi's second Copa del Rey.

Seven days later, the Champions League semi-finals arrive. Another German team and another revenge against the recent past. Yes, because Bayern Munich's coach is Pep Guardiola , with whom Real Madrid had fought so many battles. The Merengues give the Bavarians a football lesson in both matches : 1-0 at the Bernabéu, a goal from Benzema , 4-0 (a brace from Ramos and Ronaldo) at the Allianz Arena. Real Madrid is in the final. Xabi plays the 90 minutes of both matches and is a key player in Ancelotti's team since his return against Juventus.

Unfortunately, he will not be able to play in the final due to an accumulation of cards . In the 39th minute of the second leg, Alonso received a yellow card for a challenge on Schweinsteiger . At the end of the match, he commented: "I think the card is quite dubious . Yes, it was a foul, but I think the rule is more unfair than the card. It's not normal to lose a final because of a caution." Regarding the double head-to-head against Bayern, he said: "We had been losing in the semi-finals for three years; we wanted to play a perfect game , to make our mark. In any case, not even the most optimistic person expected a result like this. It was a great achievement to win both legs against Bayern. We managed to control them perfectly. Now we hope to win the final."

Lisbon, Estadio da Luz, May 24, 2013-2014 Champions League final. Minute 91: Real Madrid are losing 1-0 to Atlético Madrid. Uruguayan Diego Godín put his team ahead in the 36th minute, and the score remained unchanged until Dutch referee Björn Kuipers almost blew his whistle for the final whistle. Xabi Alonso, wearing a suit and tie, is in the stands with Nacho Fernández and Jesé . Frustrated at not being on the pitch, he is a thousand times more nervous than if he were playing in the final. The Spanish television cameras focus on him as he lives and suffers the match : he gets up, puts his hands on his head, shouts, grabs his teammates, despairs, thinks it's all over. Minute 92, corner for Madrid. Modric crosses from the right and Sergio Ramos, the Real Madrid captain, flies higher than anyone else. With a header he equalizes the score , giving his team extra time and frustrating Simeone's red-and-whites, who thought they had the victory in their pocket. Xabi shouts, raises his fists, hugs Nacho and breathes a sigh of relief. Minute 110: Ángel Di María, from the left, enters the area and unleashes a great left-footed shot. Thibaut Courtois blocks it, Bale arrives and heads it in, making it 2-1. Xabi jumps the wall and enters the field. Nacho follows him, but the stadium security stops him and takes him to the locker room. Nobody, on the other hand, catches Xabi, who runs like crazy , with his jacket and shirt flying in the wind, to hug his teammates. "I didn't think about the possible consequences, I just said to myself: I have to live this moment with them," he would explain some time later in statements to The Coaches' Voice . And he adds: "It's the wonder of football , the one that gives you these great surprises and joys. Everything can change in a second , with a header from Sergio." Bale's goal was followed by those from Marcelo and Cristiano Ronaldo: 4-1 and the long-awaited tenth Champions League title went to Real Madrid. Since Zinedine Zidane's famous volley in Glasgow against Bayer Leverkusen on May 15, 2002, the Whites had been chasing the trophy.

For Xabi, it's his second 'Big Ears', after the one he won with Liverpool at the expense of Carlo Ancelotti's Milan, now his manager. "The Champions League in Istanbul, with Liverpool, was unexpected; the Tenth was eagerly awaited. We chased it for years and years . And in the end, we won it against Atlético. It was all very dramatic, very intense, and very beautiful," the Basque player will recall.

On June 2, 2014, Vicente del Bosque announced the final list of 23 players for the World Cup in Brazil. This time, Xabi is at his best , ready to defend the title won in South Africa . On June 13, at the Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador de Bahia, Spain faces the Netherlands. "It's a repeat of the final from four years ago; it's going to be a difficult match," declared Xavi Hernández in a press conference. He had no idea what a nightmare it would be . In the 26th minute, Xabi Alonso put his team ahead from the penalty spot. Everything seemed to be going well. However, La Roja suffered a painful comeback from the Oranje. Casillas collected five balls from the back of the net: De Vrij scored, Arjen Robben scored twice, and Van Persie scored twice. His first goal, in the 43rd minute, a diving header after a long through ball from Blind, is unforgettable. Casillas, after conceding the 5-1, apologized to the fans at the end of the match. The next day, the newspapers spoke of "shame," and Iniesta himself was already wondering if La Roja's run might be over.

At the Maracaná, where Spain dreamed of reaching the final, the glorious cycle comes to an end . It's June 18th and Chile humiliates a Roja that no longer exists 2-0 . Casillas makes a mistake, the defenders and attackers make other errors, it's a disastrous match with few chances for the Iberians; one falls to Xabi, whose shot is saved by Claudio Bravo. The reigning champions, with two defeats, are mathematically eliminated from the World Cup in Brazil.

At the end of the match, in the mixed zone at the Maracanã, Xabi Alonso admitted: "We haven't been able to maintain the hunger and ambition we had in the past. Mentally, we weren't ready, and physically, we weren't ready . The share of joy and success, with victories in the World Cup and the two European Championships, had been met. Perhaps it was exhausted. We made many mistakes in this World Cup. We have lost our abilities, we have lost the strength that has made us win so many games, and the truth is that we haven't felt like we have in other tournaments. We haven't been up to par and we are deservedly eliminated ." Words that set off all the alarm bells. Iniesta, Casillas, Ramos, and Santi Cazorla contradict the national team's number 14. On June 23, with a 3-0 victory over Australia, the World Cup ends for Spain. The Netherlands and Chile advance to the round of 16.

Two months and a few days later, Xabi published a text on the official website of the national team. It says: "I want to announce that I am closing my time with the Spanish national team. The hardest thing is knowing when to say goodbye and, after thinking about it a lot, I believe that moment has arrived. I am closing a glorious era that began more than 11 years ago, having been part of a historic generation that made the dreams of millions of fans come true, achieving something unique like a World Cup and two European Championships in four years. I want to thank all my coaches, my teammates, the employees of this club and the millions of fans who have always shown me their love and respect." Next, in the short text, Alonso remembers his coaches: " Iñaki Sáez , the unforgettable Luis Aragonés and Vicente del Bosque are figures that I will always remember for having helped me grow decisively both professionally and personally." He speaks of his teammates: "I want to thank each one of them for everything they have taught me during this unforgettable stage of my life." Finally, he refers to the fans: "Those with whom we dreamed together and shared glory. I carry with me so many unforgettable moments featuring you."

At 32 years old, after 114 appearances for the red jersey and scoring 15 goals, he said goodbye to the national team on August 27, 2014. Two days later, he also said goodbye to Real Madrid.