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Xabi Alonso eyes Real Sociedad return if he opts for coaching career

Xabi Alonso has said he would like to take charge of his former club Real Sociedad one day if he embarks on a coaching career.

Alonso, who played for La Real, Real Madrid, Liverpool and Bayern Munich and won the 2010 World Cup with Spain, retired as a player last May.

In September, the 36-year-old said the next step in his career was likely to be management.

And speaking to La Real Sociedad Foundation, he said: "First I need to decide what I want to be.

"If I decided to become a coach and the possibility came along, I would like to come back to La Real one day. To come back home, to fight for these colours from a different role.

"This is the place where I started, but many things have to happen."

A Sociedad youth product, Alonso made 114 appearances for them before being sold to Liverpool in 2004.

He left Merseyside for Madrid in 2009, winning La Liga in 2011-12 and the 2014 Champions League, and won two further Champions League trophies after joining Bayern.