Xabi Alonso : I Would Love To Emulate Zidane

Having moved to Madrid, Xabi is setting his goals high: to emulate Zidane and, of course, beat Barcelona - again।

During his five-year spell with Liverpool, Xabi Alonso produced many moments of master-passing brilliance.
Who will ever forget his stunning strike from within his own half against Luton Town at Kenilworth Road in January 2006? How about his outrageous strike against Newcastle United when he shot from inside his own half to leave the slipping Newcastle goalkeeper Steve Harper grasping at air?
For all his simple and sturdy work in midfeld, he will be remembered at Anfield as a man very much capable of capturing magic. Now, on his way to Real Madrid as their seventh signing of an unprecedented summer spending spree, he has in mind a man who evoked similar emotions - albeit, perhaps on a much more regular basis.
“I have played against Zidane when he was playing for Madrid and when he was playing for France at the last World Cup," Xabi told Goal.com, giving his first interview since signing on with the Galacticos. "He was just in a different class to everyone else; he was just amazing."
Top of Alonso's own agenda is a tall order: to follow in the footsteps of the French legend, who retired at the club in 2006 and has now returned as an adviser to club president, Florentino Perez। "He did the most difficult things and made them look so easy – that’s something great to watch and a pleasure to play against," continued Madrid's new midfielder. "He was just top class and I would certainly like to emulate his success.”

Xabi is no slouch himself। During his five seasons on Merseyside - the first of which yielded that historic Champions League triumph in Istanbul - he also helped the Reds secure famous victories against the likes of AC Milan, Juventus, Inter, Arsenal, Chelsea and more.But it was Liverpool’s 2-1 victory over Barcelona at Camp Nou in the 2006-07 Champions League that he cites as one of his best experiences as a footballer.And despite his admiration for Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola and midfielder Xavi - Alonso is confident that his new club, Real Madrid, can come out on top when they take on their arch rivals this coming season.“To go to Camp Nou and win against the then reigning European and La Liga champions was top notch,” said Alonso. “It was a big night for us in front of over 100,000 people. Not many teams go there and do that, so it was special."Normally when you play the first leg away, you want to score as many goals as possible and we were happy with the two goals on the night. “Of course, being from Spain, it was better for me. All my family and friends were in the stadium that night, so I was really proud. When I was a Real Sociedad player, we lost on every occasion we visited Camp Nou. Maybe that is normal for a small team, but with Liverpool and Real Madrid, you expect more."And expect he does. No amount of records broken by last year's Barcelona side - including the first ever Spanish treble - will stop Xabi from believing in the Galacticos and their chances of restoring former glory. “We are more than a match for Barcelona, even though they are a fantastic team with some great players like Xavi, who is just great with the ball," he said.“Guardiola has a lot of knowledge about the game and understands the psychology of the players. You can see all the things he is doing well. But let’s see what happens. Anything can happen in football.”

Despite the difficult circumstances in which Xabi left behind Liverpool - with a transfer request being handed in less than a week ago - he maintained his dignity and good relations with many at the club from beginning to end।Praise comes no higher than from the club captain and Liverpool icon, Steven Gerrard, who in his autobiography heaped special praise on the playmaker. He cited Alonso’s ability to provide defence-splitting through balls as a major factor in Liverpool’s resurgence as a force both at home and abroad.Alonso returned the compliment by claiming Gerrard was the best player he played alongside at Anfield. “With Steven, he has such power to get in the box and run all over, so sometimes you need to let him have the freedom to go forward - but then that also means he can get back as soon as possible," he explained. "When we have played together, the team has had balance and it worked well.”

One thing Xabi says he will miss from Liverpool is the fans. He said, “It doesn’t matter about your status, because Liverpool fans sit next to each other in the Kop, the Main Stand, Centenary Stand or wherever. “The fans are all in it together. For example the FA Cup game against Arsenal in 2007 was really special because of the atmosphere. The way the fans showed their support to the 96 who died was amazing, they carried out their protest in front of the BBC cameras live for all the country to see, which was the best way.“During those six minutes we had some very strange feelings. I couldn’t speak to the other players because it was so noisy, and I think it was almost like the players were respecting those six minutes before they started the game. The fans are very special and I can understand why they support Liverpool and they are just great.”But with the past fully behind him, not even Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema necessarily top the billing in his future - he has the small matter of finishing his studies, too.Alonso had been a business studies student prior to his arrival at Anfield. “Before coming to Liverpool – I was doing a business studies degree, but I still have ten more subjects to go through," he revealed.“I haven’t been able to carry on with my studies, but once I finish my career, I will move back to San Sebastian and hopefully finish then. It’s something I want to do in the future as it’s very important to me and off course I was always encouraged by my parents to carry on studying."I have my friends that went onto University after they finished high school so I have always been wanting to progress with my academic qualifications.”But long before that, he has five years to give the Bernabeu and some fond memories left behind at Anfield.