Real Madrid coach Alonso hails playing standard at Club World Cup

Xinhua
26 Jun 2025, 17:21 GMT+10

PHILADELPHIA, June 26 (Xinhua) -- The ongoing FIFA Club World Cup has faced criticism for several reasons, including extreme heat, small crowds, and one-sided mismatches such as Bayern Munich's 10-0 win over Auckland City. However, new Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso insisted he was surprised at the quality of the football on show at the tournament.

Real Madrid was held to a 1-1 draw by Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal in the heat of Miami in its opening game, before defeating Mexico's Pachuca 3-1 in the second match.

A draw against Red Bull Salzburg will see Madrid into the last 16, and Alonso acknowledged that the quality of the non-European sides had taken him by surprise.

"It has been good for European football to see the level of competition from elsewhere," he said.

"It is important to be able to adapt, but we are seeing sides that you don't see on a daily basis, and they are very good," he said.

The coach singled out Argentina's River Plate despite its early exit from the tournament, and also praised Brazilian sides Fluminense, Flamengo and Botafogo, who have all made the knockout round, while European sides Atletico Madrid and FC Porto have fallen at the group stage.

"Before the start of the tournament, we said things would all go one way for the Europeans and now this has opened our eyes," admitted Alonso.

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