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Impact has been a word used frequently upon the announcement of Xabi Alonso’s retirement and it’s one that is difficult to move away from.

Few players have offered a presence as significant across a number of great teams.

Even in Eibar, where the midfielder stayed just six months on loan, he is still remembered fondly. His personality off the field was as notable as it was on it.

If you shared a dressing room with him, there will be a story to tell. There will also be a medal around your neck. Alonso was not someone who was quickly forgotten when he left a team, and now he’s leaving the game entirely there will be a great void - for now at least.

The past

Alonso’s first steps as a player were interesting ones, albeit filled with destiny.

Born into a footballing family, father Periko had a successful career and helped guide his two sons into the game. He won league titles at Real Sociedad, before moving on to Barcelona, and also represented Spain.

It was in the Catalan city that young Xabi first became obsessed with football, as his father brought him to CE Sabadell’s training centre with brother Mikel.

It wasn’t until a return to the Basque Country, and a place in local side Antiguoko’s team, that Alonso began to build up a reputation. Another young player by the name of Mikel Arteta, a childhood friend, was Alonso’s midfield partner in the early days.

Antiguoko is something of a football hotbed and various individuals have gone on to great things. Andoni Iraola, Aritz Aduriz and Javier de Pedro to name just a few.

Scouts flocked to see Alonso and Arteta together, and as the latter went to Barça, a move to Real Sociedad occurred for Xabi after he rejected Athletic Bilbao, their great rivals.

It was a struggle at first however, and a loan to Eibar was made with the idea of helping the player mature. At the time he was seen as a little soft by then coach Javier Clemente, and Eibar would be the place to toughen him up. Their home of Ipurua was a small, muddy field - it still is to this day.

The story goes his son first learned the ropes and got a taste of professional football by helping legendary keeper Garmendia warm-up. A young Alonso, in oversized, baggy tracksuit and all, would launch long-range drives between the posts.

It was passing, and not shooting, that enthused Alonso the most, however. Influenced by his own father when a player, there was an obsession with being on the ball and distributing it. Despite the tender years, Alonso already had his identity carved out. Unlike many his age, he knew what he wanted to be. And how to get there.

A return to Real Sociedad followed, and as a much superior player. John Toshack, coach at the time, identified this and made Alonso a cornerstone of his team. This coming after he reportedly told Alonso he had 10 games to win his place.

Before everyone knew it, Alonso was captain - at just 20-years-old in a team full of veterans. A dire league position was inherited by the new captain but by the time he began to influence they were soon pulled out. Toshack marvelled at how a young player could demonstrate such control of a game.

An unprecedented second-place finish in LaLiga followed in 2002-2003 and was Real Sociedad’s highest league finish since the 80s. Alonso was the driving force behind the most successful period in the club's history in the last two decades.

A ceiling was hit, however, and it seemed a move away would be inevitable. Real Madrid, who had moved the the player in the past, considered it once again. However at the time they operated on the famous ‘Zidanes y Pavones’ policy - superstars and youth academy products. Alonso was neither and so in stepped another coach, like Toshack, who should shape his game.

Rafael Benitez’s move for Alonso took many by surprise in England but the signing made perfect sense to onlookers in Spain - and course the Liverpool boss. The player soon showed his quality and won the Champions League in his first year with the club.

Even a broken ankle as 2005 began couldn’t derail Alonso’s staggering progress, and performances against Juventus in the quarter-finals and then in the final against Milan are still highly regarded.

His influence on English football would be keenly felt over the years, with Alonso showcasing a style that was in short supply. His vision on the field and general passing range would be key during the Benitez era at Liverpool. Systems changed, so did teammates, but Alonso was a constant throughout, even when speculation dogged his future.

Even fall-outs with Benitez didn’t hinder Alonso’s form and he remained a fan favourite throughout - and with his team-mates too.

Steven Gerrard stated he was ‘devastated’ when Alonso left Liverpool, and felt their poor form upon his departure was no coincidence. Gerrard has been effusive in his praise for the player and man over the years, and summed it up no better by describing his first encounter with the Basque midfielder.

“It was clear Alonso was royalty after our first training session together in August 2004 … He was, by some distance, the best central midfielder I ever played alongside.”

When it came to leaving Liverpool a move to Arsenal did tempt Alonso, with the prospect linking up with Arsene Wenger an intriguing thought. While Benitez shaped Alonso’s career for the better and taught him a lot, there was a feeling from the midfielder that their entire view of the game didn’t match.

Finally however Alonso ended up in the famous white shirt of Real Madrid. Third time lucky.

The present

Alonso’s influence in football today is significant enough in that he defined a single role in the game.

While there had been defensive midfielders before him, and there will be after him too, no one has quite been capable of being on his level and for such a sustained period of time.

Alonso was a definition point in several great teams - Real Sociedad, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, not to mention Spain. It’s difficult for any player to be a factor just once in his career, yet to do it on multiple occasions takes a special character.

Even in his latter years, with the move to Bayern Munich, there was still a part of Alonso’s game evolving. People questioned Pep Guardiola’s signing strangely enough, just like they had when Real Madrid eventually picked him up. For Guardiola it was a case of defending Alonso’s age and ability to still be an influence.

In no time Alonso went about proving his age would not be a factor given the issues that might hinder him - pace, physicality - were things he successfully navigated past throughout his career.

Alonso’s role at Real Madrid comprised of him of playing in a double pivot, and required the utmost patience -for Alonso did not see as much of the ball as he would under Vicente del Bosque, nor Guardiola.

Jose Mourinho instead looked for key defensive actions, and prowess without the ball. He did this admirably so and ended up being a key figure in some of the most heated and competitive years in the Barça-Real Madrid rivalry.

Later down the line, there was success under another manager in the form of Carlo Ancelotti, with Alonso - despite missing the final - being vital during an historic La Decima triumph.

There was still another move left though, and that was to Bayern. Again, not for the first time, a manager craved some control and presence in midfield. And with injuries to Bastian Schweinsteiger and Javier Martinez, the German giants were depleted in this key area of the field.

Alonso wasted no time in settling down at Bayern, and not long after making his debut recorded a stunning 206 touches of the ball in a game against Cologne - a record for the Bundesliga at the time.

As the one in Guardiola’s 3-1-3-3, Alonso was the classic linchpin figure. He orchestrated the backline and moved them up the field, while pinging his trademark passes across the field. It was a role and style akin to what he had with Spain and he remarked so himself.

Guardiola meanwhile was delighted with his capture, a player he sought out despite others at the German club plumping for Sami Khedira. Upon the announcement of Alonso’s retirement, the Manchester City boss declared the player to be one of the best he’s ever seen in his life - and he knows plenty of them.

“Over the years you have to have more composure, read the game and understand it better.” said Alonso in a recent interview with some local San Sebastian press. It perhaps explains his improvement later on his career, and while he was a success at Liverpool it was in Madrid and Munich he perhaps looked most imperious.

The future

So what next for Alonso? He’s been discreet when it comes to talk of his next move, instead shutting down links with a coaching role and behind the scenes as a potential Sporting Director.

It’s a subject that will continue to be discussed given the coaches Alonso has worked with however, especially as he entered his 30s. Del Bosque, Ancelotti, Mourinho and Guardiola are all stellar names, winners and purveyors of style.

It leaves the prospect of Alonso looking to coach a team in his own shape and form, but also one of balance given that he featured for managers that were perhaps at odds with his values - yet he still experienced success under.

A return to Real Sociedad certainly stands out. It’s a team where many though Alonso may see his career out with, but instead will go out at the very top with Bayern. And potentially with more trophies to his name.

With that one remarkable, profound career ends. There is the prospect that in the not too distant future, another may begin.