Xabi Alonso decides to stay at Madrid and will fulfil contract

‘Madridistas’ have a few things on their minds at the moment: the necessary and much-desired extension of Cristiano Ronaldo’s deal at Real Madrid, the appointment of a new coach and the signing of Gareth Bale. However, one concern has been dealt with: AS has learnt that Xabi Alonso has decided to fulfil his current contract at Madrid (which runs out on 30 June 2014) and is prepared to sit down with the club to negotiate a renewal, thought likely to run until 2016.

In recent months, the Basque player has been dogged by a pelvic injury which has reduced his usual on-field influence. In February, he had a meeting with coach José Mourinho and since then has undergone a recovery process that has allowed him to play only in the key Champions League matches, the odd La Liga encounter and the Copa del Rey final. This permitted him to feature against Borussia Dortmund in the semi-final of Europe’s top club competition, as well as against Atlético Madrid. But he was a shadow of the splendid Xabi Alonso who was the fulcrum of a side that won La Liga with a record 121 goals and 100 points.

Having failed to shake off the problem, Xabi has chosen to pull out of the Confederations Cup, place himself in the hands of the Real Madrid medical staff and, thinking about his club, look at all the recovery options available. Right now, the debate is between surgery or a more conservative treatment. At 31 (he turns 32 on 25 November), the former Liverpool man has accepted that he has two or three years left at a mid-high level if he looks after his body.