KopTalk.com Forums Football Liverpool FC Forum Alonso: I want to go back to Liverpool to say bye

Xabi Alonso says he wants to return to Merseyside to say goodbye to his former team-mates and Rafa Benitez.

The Real Madrid player was paraded at a press conference in Madrid today and spoke of his excitement at his new challenge.

Xabi said: "It's a very happy day for me. It's an important step in my career, joining a great club like Real Madrid following another great club like Liverpool.

"I really wanted to reach this day and am very happy to be part of this club.

"Everything happened very fast and I did not have time to say goodbye. I want to go back to bid farewell to my colleagues and Rafa. As it happened so fast, I had almost no time to say goodbye.

"I repeat over and over again that the relationship with Rafa was professional and respectful between coach and player. The respect and gratitude for the opportunity he gave me will always be there."

Be nice if he came back and watched a game early this season, i am sure he would get a brilliant reception.

Well its always hard to say goodbye to a great player, certainly one of my favourites of the last ten years.

That said good luck to Xabi, bad luck to Real - I really dislike the way they do business.

I'm also happy with the way Rafa has handled the situation.

For once we've got top money for one of our players and we've replaced him with a good player quickly and efficiently -although obviously we wont know how good for a while yet.

Hopefully in nine months time we'll be saying Xabi- great player, but Alberto is better :-)

You just did.........see ya.

i hope we play madrid in champions league and xabi plays at anfield get a brilliant reception!! but thats all hel get with liverpool running out 3-0 winners Aqualini hattrick! haha only joking well it would be nice

There is one thing i am willing to bet tho..Aquilani will score more goals for Liverpool than Xabi if he stays fit.

Thank you Xabi for your years of service in the red shirt.

Alonso seems like a good guy.

no need to bother xabi, we understand your heart was in that white shirt. Thanks for your services:)

I'm with you here Injun. Another player being attracted to the so called bright lights of bigger success.
Yea, thanks Alonso. Great player , no doubts, but if your heart isn't in it and fully behind the holy red shirt, then I'm glad you've gone.

YNWA Xabi.

We are forgetting the way he was treated last summer, effectively being pimped out to every club in Europe. Most players would have got in a mood and it would have had an adverse effect on their perfomance. Xabi maintained a professional demeanour and reacted by putting in his best season yet.

He's newly married and wanted to go back to Spain a few months ago. I wish he would have been part of the Liverpool team that wins number 19, and hope he doesn't regret his decision.

Either way - YNWA Xabi. If only for the missed penalty that he scored the rebound in Istanbul.

Good luck lad - see you in May!!!!