“Each day you have to look for new challenges” – Xabi Alonso on success in sports and business

When football World Cup champion Xabi Alonso visited the adidas World of Sports in Herzogenaurach, we took the chance to get some personal career tips for you. We all know Xabi as the never-failing dominant FC Bayern Munich midfielder – so what is his recipe for success and how can we learn from him to push our own careers on and off the court?

Xabi, with already 1641 complete passes during this season you are known as one of the most accurate passer in the German Bundesliga. Are passing skills the key asset for domination on the football field and in business?

Xabi: “It’s the main part of my job. I always try to connect and help my teammates on the field as good as I can. To really add value to the team performance I need to be involved in the build-up play and anticipate as much as I can – only then I do my job right. I think this rule can also be applied to the world of business. You need to team up for top results.”

You have already been playing for a number of international top football teams. Our adidas Group blog audience is interested in how one can build a high performance team. What are the challenges?

Xabi: “In theory, it seems easy, but in practice building a high performance team demands a lot of work. You need to really understand the individual strengths and also the weaknesses of all your teammates. Everybody has to fit his or her role, else it doesn’t work. This also is the biggest challenge in football.  It is more complicated than it seems , but whenever you achieve this level of great team performance, it feels very satisfying.”

Lots of people work hard every day to push their careers. How do you reward yourself after an intensive training session?

Xabi: “Well, it’s part of the training to take your time and calm down. You need to spend these moments in order to recharge and to get ready for the next challenge. It should be a natural part of the preparation  – a passive but very important one. I love to go to the steam bath for example to chill down.”