Xabi Alonso was a supremely intelligent deep-lying midfielder, a passer of exceptional range who could switch play across the pitch or spring an attack with a single ball. He rose at Real Sociedad before starring at Liverpool, where he was part of the side that won the Champions League in Istanbul, and later won league titles at Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.
With Spain he won the World Cup in 2010 and the European Championship in 2008 and 2012, the metronome at the base of a golden generation. He went on to become one of the most admired young managers in the game.