Xabi Alonso spoke to Realmadrid TV after the squad arrived in Florida, where they face Al Hilal on Wednesday, 18 June, as they kick off their  campaign. The Madrid coach had this to say: "We're starting a new era and we have to prioritise what's important: what we want to be, how we want to play and how we want to feel it. We want to be able to do that right from the start, starting with the match against Al Hilal. First, we have to recognise ourselves.”

First encounters with the players
"They've been very positive. You gradually get to know them, you have that much-needed contact and more players are gradually coming in."

Preparation ahead of the Club World Cup opener
"Everything has to be accelerated because we have very little time to get to know each other and to train. We arrived here and today Lunin, Vini Jr. and Arda are arriving. We'll start to build a team and we have three training sessions before the match. We’ve come with plenty of desire to have a good tournament and to go all the way."