Xabi Alonso Looking Forward to Playing for and Against Liverpool at Anfield

The March international break is set to be a little easier for Liverpool fans to get through thanks to the Liverpool Legends game set for Saturday, March 23rd at Anfield, when some famous former Reds will be taking on the Bayern Munich Legends in a charity match.

The likes of Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Dirk Kuyt, and Luis Garcia are all confirmed participants—and so is Xabi Alonso. Alonso, though, as an ex-player for both Liverpool and Bayern, will play for both. He’s looking forward to it—and to being back at Anfield.

“It was a pleasure,” Alonso said of the opportunity to return to Anfield for the first time not just to represent his former Reds but also Bayern Munich. “For me it is a football temple, the essence of football. The people, the supporters, the fans understand real football.

It’ll certainly beat a few meaningless friendlies—and hoping Liverpool’s players don’t end up injured playing in said meaningless friendlies—and some countries fine tune ahead of the World Cup and others, those not heading to Russia, look for a quick payday.

It might not make the March international break something to truly look forward to, but if there’s going to be a break in the league and Champions League action next month, at least it’ll mean getting to watch Xabi Alonso play in red at Anfield one more time.

“It’s real football,” he added, “not just the tricks. It’s what has has to be done in the right moment, and they appreciate that. So, for me, it’s [a chance to play] real football.”