A pictorial history of Xabi Alonso’s beard

It’s a hectic time for Xabi Alonso and his beard. First the midfielder announced his retirement from international football – now it seems he’s about to move from Real Madrid to Bayern Munich.

That mean’s football’s neatest face furniture will no longer be seen on the football pitches of Spain. To mark the occasion, we looked back at the history of Alonso’s beard to give Bayern fans an idea of what they might expect.

As a fresh-faced youngster playing for Real Sociedad, he sported a smart pair of sideburns.