- Alonso was seen taking a free kick before the Europa League final in Dublin.
- The Leverkusen coach hit the crossbar with a curling attempt.
- CHRIS SUTTON: If I were Trent Alexander-Arnold and Real Madrid came for me, I would try something different and leave Liverpool – Listen It’s all starting!
Steven Gerrard mocked his former Liverpool teammate Xabi Alonso after footage showed the Bayer Leverkusen manager hitting the crossbar from a free kick before the Europa League final.
A clip was posted to Europa League accounts ahead of the main match in Dublin, which saw Alonso’s Leverkusen take on Atalanta.
The former Spain, Liverpool and Real Madrid star briefly returned to his playing days by taking a free kick from outside the area, without a wall.
Alonso tried to put the ball into the top right corner of the net, but the 42-year-old saw his shot hit the frame of the goal before rebounding.
The Leverkusen manager turned away in frustration, while the attempt sparked a joke from his former Liverpool team-mate Gerrard.
Xabi Alonso was seen taking a free kick before the Europa League final in Dublin
The Bayer Leverkusen coach saw his free kick bounce off the crossbar at the Aviva Stadium
Alonso was seen walking away in frustration after being denied during training.
Former Liverpool teammate Steven Gerrard joked at Alonso’s expense on social media
“That’s why I used to take them,” Gerrard, now coach of Saudi Pro League club Al-Ettifaq, joked on Instagram.
Despite Gerrard’s joke, Alonso had enjoyed success in set-piece situations during his time at Anfield between 2004 and 2009.
Alonso had opened his Liverpool account with a free kick against Fulham in 2004.
The Spaniard scored two more free kicks for the club before leaving for Real Madrid, having scored 18 goals for Liverpool in total.
Gerrard, however, had largely remained Liverpool’s free-kick taker during his legendary career at the club.
The former club captain scored 10 goals in total for the Reds.
The Europa League final itself would be a more frustrating occasion for Alonso, with Leverkusen defeated by an inspired performance from Ademola Lookman.
Alonso played with Gerrard in Liverpool’s midfield for five years between 2004 and 2009.
Gerrard had largely remained Liverpool’s free kick taker during his time at the club.
Alonso had a difficult night in Dublin as Leverkusen lost 3-0 in the Europa League final.
Lookman scored a magnificent hat-trick and Atalanta claimed a 3-0 victory to win the Europa League.
The result ended Leverkusen’s 51-match unbeaten run, extinguishing their hopes of a treble having already won the Bundesliga.
“For me, today’s result doesn’t change in the slightest how I feel about my players or what we’ve been doing,” Alonso told the BBC after the match.
“It hurts because we wanted to lift the trophy but you can’t have everything. We have lifted the Bundesliga and on Saturday we have the opportunity to lift the DFB Cup.”
Alonso’s team will try to recover from the painful defeat in the German Cup final.
