The Spanish midfielder has admitted that the former Barcelona coach was one of the main reasons he left the Santiago Bernabeu to join Bayern Munich last year

Xabi Alonso says Pep Guardiola was one of the main reasons he chose to join Bayern Munich from Real Madrid.

The midfielder moved to the Bundesliga champions last year and has been a pivotal player for the league leaders this term.

And Alonso says Guardiola was one of the main factors that persuaded him to move to Bavaria.

“After beating Atletico in the Champions League final last year, it seemed like the time had come to do something different again,” he told Fifa Weekly. “I thought the time was right to try something new with one of the world’s best teams and in one of the best three leagues in Europe.

“There were many good reasons to move to Bayern, and Pep Guardiola was definitely one of them. I immediately realised how Guardiola’s unique intensity has enabled him to achieve so much in his relatively short career so far.

“To be able to learn even more about football under his guidance is incredibly motivating and offers a great challenge. He’s a rigorous thinker and worker, very analytical, a great tactician and a methodical innovator.

“Pep understands everything about the game. He doesn’t force his way of thinking on us players; instead he convinces us about his ideas.

“If you can manage that as a coach, you know your players will push themselves even further and fight even harder for the team’s shared goals.”

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