{"id":300534,"date":"2017-03-09T15:20:49","date_gmt":"2017-03-09T15:20:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=300534"},"modified":"2017-03-09T15:20:49","modified_gmt":"2017-03-09T15:20:49","slug":"xabi-alonso-confirms-retirement-at-end-of-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2017\/03\/xabi-alonso-confirms-retirement-at-end-of-season\/","title":{"rendered":"Xabi Alonso confirms retirement at end of season"},"content":{"rendered":"
Bayern Munich midfielder Xabi Alonso has confirmed he will retire when his contract expires in the summer.<\/p>\n
Alongside a picture of him waving goodbye, the 35-year-old Spain international wrote on Twitter: “Lived it. Loved it. Farewell beautiful game.”<\/p>\n
He won club honours with Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern and the World Cup and two European Championships.<\/p>\n
Alonso told Bayern’s TV channel: “It wasn’t an easy decision to make, but I believe it’s the right time.<\/p>\n
He added: “I always thought it would be better to quit sooner rather than later. I still feel good, but I believe this is the right moment.”<\/p>\n