Xabi Alonso said Bayer Leverkusen "will remain in my heart forever" as he bid an emotional farewell following his final home match as head coach.

Alonso announced that he would be leaving the club at the end of the season on Friday.

It is widely expected Alonso will replace Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid.

The Spaniard joined Leverkusen in October 2022 and guided them to their first Bundesliga title and a DFB-Pokal triumph last season, losing only one game in all competitions, with that defeat coming in the Europa League final.

Alonso was heavily linked with a move to his former club Liverpool, but elected to stay put. However, Leverkusen were unable to defend their title, and will finish a distant second behind Bayern Munich.

A 4-2 defeat to Borussia Dortmund was not the way in which Alonso will have wanted to bow out at the BayArena, but in a farewell speech, the 43-year-old expressed his love for Leverkusen.

He said: "Saying goodbye to the players, and myself personally was more important to me today than the result.

"It was the last home game, and to feel this special connection with the fans again is something I'm very proud of.

"This club will remain in my heart forever."

Alonso also praised everyone connected with the club for allowing him to put across his ideas and values over the last two and a half years.

"I'm proud of what we've achieved here, and I'm grateful for everything we've done. I'll always have very fond memories of my time at Bayer 04, because I was able to develop as a coach here," he added.

"The team, the staff, and every single player put their trust in me; they believed in me and my ideas. That was crucial for me and my journey here."

Jonathan Tah also said goodbye to Leverkusen's supporters after playing in his final home match.

Tah had already announced that he would be leaving the club at the end of his current contract, with the likes of Bayern, Madrid and Barcelona reportedly interested in the defender.

"What we achieved with the double victory, we achieved together," said Tah.

"No one will ever take that away from us. Thank you for the years, you are forever in my heart.

"I will never forget you. Thank you for everything."

Alonso's final match in charge of Leverkusen will come against Mainz on May 17.

He has overseen 233 matches as Leverkusen boss, winning 148 games (63.5%).