Xabi Alonso Avoids Commenting on the 2025 Ballon d’Or and Focuses on Real Madrid

Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso sidestepped questions about the 2025 Ballon d’Or, which will be awarded this Monday in Paris, with Ousmane Dembélé (PSG) and Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) as the leading favorites for the prestigious football award. The coach made it clear that giving his opinion on who should win the golden trophy is “not his topic.”

“We’ll see what happens. I watch a lot of football, but it’s not my topic. I don’t have to vote, we’ll see who wins after the gala. I haven’t thought about it too much,” Alonso stated during a press conference.

Additionally, the Real Madrid coach declined to comment on the club’s stance of not attending the Ballon d’Or ceremony, following last year’s edition where Vinícius Jr. was expected to win until hours before the event but did not take home the award.

“We have a match against Levante tomorrow, and every game is very important. My focus is solely on Levante,” he insisted.

The upcoming match against Levante, scheduled for Tuesday at the Ciutat de Valencia (9:30 PM CEST, -2 GMT), comes at a time when Real Madrid is in top form: they have a perfect record with victories in all six of their official matches this season, including five wins in La Liga and one in the Champions League.

“We’re improving, on the right path. We can still get better. We’re still in the phase of building foundations and pillars. Five La Liga matches and one in the Champions League is just the start; we need to have the ambition to want more and to be consistent in our football,” Alonso reflected on his team’s progress.

“What’s happened is in the past, and now we move forward. Being realistic, we’re in a building phase. The results help confirm we’re on the right track. The team needs to stay united and play collectively so everyone benefits,” added the Real Madrid coach.

Xabi Alonso also assessed their next opponent, a Levante side that has shown solidity at the start of the season. “Any away game is tough. Levante played well against Betis and Barcelona, where they posed a lot of problems, with a very competitive coach. Tomorrow, we’ll need to play with quality, pace, and focus… and be prepared for what we need to do,” he warned.