Alonso's footballing career started in the Basque Country at Real Sociedad. But it was at Liverpool where he became a global star.
At Anfield, the midfielder lifted the 2005 Champions League and the 2006 FA Cup and made over 200 appearances for the club.
He then joined Real Madrid winning La Liga in the 2011/12 season, two Copa del Reys and the Champions League in 2014.
Alonso drew the curtain down on an illustrious playing career at Bayern Munich where he won the Bundesliga three times and the DFB-Pokal.
He also enjoyed plenty of success at international level too, winning two European Championships and a World Cup with Spain as well as making 114 appearances for his country.
Alonso moved into management in 2019 taking over Real Sociedad B, where he gained promotion back to the Segunda Division.
He took the reins at Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen in 2022 and brought them their first league title in an unbeaten 2023/24 season and their second DFB-Pokal trophy.
Alonso spent his youth career playing for Basque Country amateur football club Antiguoko for nine years before joining Real Sociedad B in 1999. He made his first team debut at Sociedad at the age of 18 in a Copa del Rey match against Logrones.
In the summer of 2000, the midfielder was sent out on loan for a brief stint playing in the Segunda Division for Eibar. Alonso made eight appearances for the club before returning to his parent club Real Sociedad at the beginning of 2001.
In January 2001, he was appointed club captain at the age of just 20 by then manager John Toshack. Sociedad were rooted to the bottom of the Spanish First Division when Alonso was first given the armband but the club ended up comfortably staying up and finishing 14th at the end of the 2000/01 season.
The midfielder's real breakthrough campaign came in the 2002/03 season when he captained the club to a second-placed finish in La Liga. This was the club’s highest league finish for over two decades.
He won the 2003 Spanish Player of the Year due to his strong performances throughout the calendar year.
After making 124 appearances for Real Sociedad, Alonso left the club and moved to England to join Liverpool in the summer of 2004 in a deal worth £10.7million.
Alonso had a largely successful five-year spell at Anfield. In his first season playing for the Reds, he helped the club win the Champions League and even scored their equalising goal in their historic final against AC Milan in Istanbul before they went on to win on penalties.
He then won another piece of silverware in his second season at the club when the Reds won the 2006 FA Cup by defeating West Ham United in a penalty shootout in the final at the Millenium Stadium in Cardiff.
Alonso played a huge part in this triumph especially earlier on in the competition in the third round in January 2006 when he scored a famous goal against Luton Town from his own half of the field in a dramatic 5-3 win.
Alonso didn't win anymore major trophies during his time on Merseyside but he did produce an iconic Premier League moment at the beginning of the 2006/07 season when he scored a goal from 70 yards out in the Reds’ 2-0 victory over Newcastle United at Anfield.
He eventually left the club in the summer of 2009 to join Real Madrid for £30million. He had made 210 appearances and scored 19 goals for the Reds and won two major honours with the club.
The midfielder made his return to Spain and went on to have a stellar five years playing for Real Madrid.
In his half a decade playing in the Spanish capital city, Alonso made 236 appearances for Real and won a total of four major trophies including two Copa del Reys (2011 and 2014), La Liga (2012) and the Champions League (2014).
While playing for Madrid, Alonso was named in the FIFA FIFPro World XI in both 2011 and 2012, La Liga Best Midfielder for the 2011/12 season, and he was named in the UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season in 2013/14.
He eventually moved to Germany to join Bundesliga club Bayern Munich in the summer of 2014.
Alonso spent the final three years of his playing career with Bundesliga club Bayern Munich where his time was once again successful.
The midfielder made a total of 117 appearances for the club and won three Bundesligas (2015, 2016, & 2017), a DFB-Pokal (2016), and a DFL-Supercup (2016). He was also named in the Bundesliga Team of the Season in 2015/16.
The midfielder called it a day on his extremely decorated footballing career and hung up his boots in at the end of the 2016/17 campaign.
Alonso also enjoyed a fantastic international career playing for the Spanish national team making a total of 114 appearances for his country including playing at three European Championships as well as three World Cups.
Alonso was a big part of the Spain team that won Euro 2008, World Cup 2010 and Euro 2012. He was named in the official Team of Tournament for Euro 2012.
He called it a day on his international career after Spain’s group stage exit of the 2014 World Cup.
After originally having a role coaching with Real Madrid U14s, Alonso was appointed manager of Real Sociedad B in the summer of 2019. His first game in charge ended with his team drawing 1-1 with Burgos CF in Segunda Division B.
In the 2020/21 season, Alonso guided Sociedad B to promotion to the Segunda Division after their play-off victory over Algeciras on May 22, 2021. This would be the first time the club would play in the second-tier in Spain since 1962.
He left the club at the end of the 2021/22 campaign following the club’s relegation back to the third-tier of Spanish football. In total, Alonso managed the club 98 times, winning 40, drawing 23 and losing 35.
Alonso took charge of German club Bayer Leverkusen in October 2022, with the team sitting bottom of the Bundesliga.
But he turned Die Wekself's fortunes around and the club finished in sixth place under his stewardship at the end of the 2022/23 season and went to a Europa League semi-final.
He then broke new ground at the club in the following season by guiding Leverkusen to their first Bundesliga title with five matches left in the season, and put an end to Bayern Munich's 11 season stranglehold on the competition.
The club went unbeaten during the league season and also clinched a domestic double by winning the German Cup following an early goal from Granit Xhaka.
Leverkusen’s successful trip to the Olympiastadion in Berlin came just three after they lost 3-0 to Atalanta in the Europa League final.
Alonso married to Nagore Aranburu in 2009 and the couple have one son, Jontxe, and two daughters, Ane and Emma.
His brother Mikel played for Spanish clubs Real Union and Real Sociedad and spent a season on loan at Bolton Wanderers. His other brother Jon is a referee.
Alonso is a Liverpool supporter and regularly returns to watch matches.
Alonso's net worth is reportedly around $20million, and earns €6m a year at Bayer Leverkusen.
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