Xabi Alonso might well be on the brink of turning 35, but there’s life in the old dog yet.
While many professional footballers of a similar age are considering retirement, Alonso continues to hold down a place in the midfield of one of the world’s greatest sides.
The former Liverpool midfielder was a starter for Bayern Munich in their Bundesliga opener against Werder Bremen on Friday night, and marked the occasion by bagging the first goal of the German champions’ season. And it wasn’t exactly a tap in, either.
With just over eight minutes played at the Allianz Arena, a Bayern cross was nodded out of the area by a Bremen defender. The ball fell at the feet of the Spaniard who, after one touch to set himself, smashed home a dipping right-footed strike from the edge of the area.
The goalkeeper got a slight touch, but there was very little that could be done to stop the ball hitting the onion bag.
Enjoy it (and the tremendously excited French commentator) in all its glory in the video below.
A few minutes later, Bayern doubled their lead when Robert Lewandowski slotted home from a tight angle.
It’s very early days, but you wouldn’t back against Carlo Ancelotti picking up where Pep Guardiola left off in Bavaria.
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