Florentino Perez, the president of Real Madrid, welcomed the new coach Xabi Alonso, who was presented today as the head coach of the first team, succeeding Italian Carlo Ancelotti.

Perez said in his speech: "Real Madrid belongs to the hearts of the people, because this emblem embodies the values that are instilled in our city daily, these values that have been essential to achieving a record filled with accomplishments that is hard to match, and to live one of the most successful periods in our history in recent years."

He added: "The strength of this club lies in continuing to work to fulfill the dreams of our fans, and therefore, today is a very special day, a coach comes from among the best coaches in the world, who knows what Real Madrid is and what this jersey means. Today, we welcome one of our own, Xabi Alonso."

He continued: "Dear Xabi, welcome to Real Madrid, I am sure you are experiencing a very exciting moment today, you showed that when you arrived in 2009 to wear this jersey, you won six titles, and now you have become part of Real Madrid's history, and you are also one of the legends of the Spanish national team, with whom you won the World Cup in 2010 and two European Championships, and today you return to your home."

He added: "We all knew your future when you took over coaching our under-14 team in 2018, you achieved a feat that became part of German football history: winning the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen, this journey has made you one of the greatest figures in the world of football and one of the best coaches in the world, today you return as the head coach of the first team to face one of the greatest challenges of your life."

He concluded: "Xabi, you will have a fan base that loves and admires you, you understand the demands of this club, but I am sure we will share many joys together, dear Xabi: welcome to your home, welcome to Real Madrid."