Every Trophy Xabi Alonso Won at Liverpool

Xabi Alonso will return to Anfield as a coach on Tuesday 5th November, as Bayer Leverkusen face Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League. This will be the first time that the former Spanish midfielder returns to Merseyside in a competitive match following his departure from the club in August 2009. He was heavily rumoured as Jurgen Klopp’s replacement in the summer, but the Reds eventually decided that Arne Slot was the man for the job, as Alonso announced that he would stay at Leverkusen for another year.

Alonso made 200 appearances for the Reds, playing in six finals, including the 2005 Champions League final in Istanbul. He won four trophies as a Liverpool player during his five-year stint at the club. Here is a closer look at every time Alonso picked up a trophy ahead of his eagerly-awaited return to Anfield.

4 2004/05 Champions League

Final: AC Milan 3-3 Liverpool (Liverpool won 3-2 on penalties)

Alonso arrived at Liverpool in the summer of 2004 as part of a new era under the new Liverpool manager, Rafael Benitez. The Reds finished fourth in the previous campaign, meaning they had to win a third qualifying round against Grazer AK to book their spot in the Champions League group stages. A 2-0 away win in Austria was followed by a 1-0 defeat at Anfield to ensure Liverpool would be playing at Europe’s top table for the 2004/05 season.

Benitez’ side struggled in Group A, which consisted of Monaco, Deportivo La Coruna, and Olympiacos. After five matches, they were on seven points, needing to beat Olympiacos by two clear goals at Anfield to qualify for the Round of 16. They found themselves a goal down at half-time, but second-half strikes from Florent Sinama Pongolle and Neil Mellor restored hope. With four minutes to go, Steven Gerrard scored a half-volley from 20 yards to book Liverpool’s place in the knockout stages in dramatic fashion.

Next up was Bayer Leverkusen, who Liverpool beat 6-2 on aggregate to secure their place in the quarter-finals. Juventus were the opponents, and a 2-1 win at Anfield followed by a 0-0 in Italy was enough to keep the Champions League run going for Alonso and his teammates.

They faced Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea in the semi-finals. After a 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge in the first leg, Liverpool opened the scoring after only four minutes with Luis Garcia lifting the ball over the Chelsea defenders. The referee gave the ‘ghost goal’ despite the ball seemingly not crossing the line, sending Anfield into wild celebration. Liverpool held on to win 1-0, with their fifth European title in sight.

Alonso started alongside Gerrard in the final against Italian giants AC Milan. Benitez’s team were the huge underdogs, with Milan boasting the likes of Hernan Crespo, Andrea Pirlo and Kaka in their squad. Goals from Paolo Maldini and a brace from Crespo put Milan 3-0 up at half-time with the Liverpool players and supporters visibly despondent. A tactical switch to bring on Dietmar Hamann redressed the balance after the break, though, and the Reds quickly responded with quick-fire goals from Gerrard and Vladimir Smicer. With an hour on the clock, the Liverpool captain won a penalty after a foul from Gennaro Gattuso. Alonso stepped up and missed the spot-kick before scoring the rebound to complete a remarkable comeback.

Milan missed some guilt-edge chances in extra-time, particularly Andriy Shevchenko, who was denied by Jerzy Dudek from only three yards out. A penalty shootout was required to separate the two teams after 120 minutes. Misses from Serginho, Pirlo and Shevchenko in the shootout meant that Liverpool had won their fifth Champions League title, completing a sensational first season for Alonso.

3 2005 UEFA Super Cup

After the 2005 Champions League triumph in Istanbul, Liverpool faced the UEFA Cup winners, CSKA Moscow, in Monaco. They were the first Russian team to win a trophy in Europe and proved to be tough opponents for Benitez’s side. Daniel Carvalho opened the scoring for CSKA Moscow after 28 minutes, taking the ball past Pepe Reina and slotting the ball home. The Reds created a flurry of chances in the second half as they searched for an equaliser, with Sinama Pongolle and Mohammed Sissoko coming on to replace Steve Finnan and Alonso, respectively.

Djibril Cisse finally scored for Liverpool in the 82nd minute, sending the match to extra-time. The French striker doubled his tally in the first-half of extra-time to put the English side in the ascendancy. His cross then found Garcia a few minutes later, who tucked the ball home to secure the Super Cup title for Liverpool.

2 2005/06 FA Cup

Final: Liverpool 3-3 West Ham (Liverpool won 3-1 on penalties)

As a Premier League side, Liverpool entered the 2005/06 FA Cup in the third round. They were drawn against Championship side Luton Town at Kenilworth Road – a tough away trip for the Reds. After 53 minutes, Liverpool found themselves 3-1 down, thanks to goals from Steve Howard, Steve Robinson and Kevin Nicholls.

After the hour mark, the Reds responded through Sinama Pongolle to halve the deficit. Alonso’s deflected shot in the 69th minute levelled the tie to put the Premier League team in the ascendancy. Four minutes later, Sinama Pongolle headed a cross in from Finnan to complete another comeback. The Hatters pushed for an equaliser, with goalkeeper Marlon Beresford coming up for a corner in the 93rd minute. He was left stranded, though, and from 70 yards, Alonso put the ball into an empty net to secure Liverpool’s place in the fourth round.

Benitez’s side beat Portsmouth 2-1 in the next round in what was a much simpler victory. This set up a home match against arch rivals, Manchester United. A Peter Crouch header after 19 minutes was enough to send the Reds into the quarter-finals, setting up an away game against Birmingham City. Liverpool eased past the Blues, winning 7-0 to secure their place in the final four. Chelsea were the opponents in the semi-final at Old Trafford. Goals from John Arne Riise and Garcia put the Reds 2-0 up, and although Didier Drogba scored a late header, Liverpool held on to win the tie.

The final was played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff in front of over 70,000 spectators. West Ham went 2-0 up after 28 minutes to shock Liverpool, who were the pre-match favourites. Cisse and Gerrard responded to bring the sides level, but Paul Konchesky’s 64th minute goal for the Hammers looked like being the winner. Gerrard had other ideas, though, sweeping the ball from 35 yards out in the 91st minute to send the game to extra-time. A penalty shootout was ultimately required, and misses from Bobby Zamora, Konchesky and Anton Ferdinand meant Liverpool won their seventh FA Cup title in what was later dubbed ‘The Gerrard Final’.

Liverpool 2-1 Chelsea

After the FA Cup triumph in the 2005/06 season, Alonso and his team faced the Premier League champions, Chelsea, in the Community Shield. The match was played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. Riise opened the scoring after only seven minutes, firing a long-range shot past the Blues goalkeeper, Carlo Cudicini. Despite dominating the first-half, Shevchenko equalised a minute before the break to send teams in level.

Alonso and Gerrard were brought on 15 minutes after the interval, helping the Reds regain control after a spell of Chelsea pressure. With 10 minutes to go, Craig Bellamy’s cross from the left-hand side found Peter Crouch, who headed the ball home to put Liverpool 2-1 up. Mourinho’s side had chances late in the match but were unable to equalise, meaning the Reds were the 2006 Community Shield winners.

Information gathered from Transfermarkt and BBC Sport – Correct as of 04/11/24.