Gareth Bale chimes in on Xabi Alonso’s sacking at Real Madrid: ‘You need to manage the egos’ | OneFootball

Ever since Real Madrid’s decision to sack Xabi Alonso earlier in the month, the club have faced immense criticism from top footballing personalities, including Thierry Henry, Manuel Pellegrini and Andoni Iraola, among others.

Now, Gareth Bale appears to have joined the list of former footballers offering their thoughts on Alonso’s departure, though he refrained from criticising Real Madrid.

What Bale said about Alonso’s exit

In a recent interview with TNT Sports, Bale spoke favourably about Alonso, who has become a cult hero of sorts after his departure, and is already attracting interest from Eintracht Frankfurt.

“He’s an incredible coach. He’s won what he’s won at Bayer Leverkusen, he’s won trophies, he’s coached the team incredibly well,” the Welshman said (h/t MARCA).

However, Bale did point out that managing Real Madrid is not all about coaching players how to play, but managing the egos in the dressing room.

Bale praised Xabi Alonso as a coach but not as a manager. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

“But when you arrive at Real Madrid, you don’t need to be a coach; you need to be a manager. You need to manage the egos in the dressing room,” he added.

As someone who spent a chunk of his footballing career at Real Madrid, Bale is well aware of what it takes to manage a team like Los Blancos.

The Welshman, after all, has played alongside egos such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos, Vinicius Jr. and Karim Benzema, among others.

“You have to manage egos. You don’t need to do so many tactical things. In the dressing room, there are superstars who can change games in the blink of an eye.

“So, yes. It’s clear he’s a great coach and tactician, but at Real Madrid, obviously, it didn’t work,” he concluded.

Considered as one of the best wingers in play for Real Madrid in recent memory, Bale won five Champions League titles with Real Madrid before leaving the club in 2022. He retired from professional football in 2023.