{"id":80418,"date":"2024-11-26T06:58:38","date_gmt":"2024-11-26T11:58:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ripped.topps.com\/?p=80418"},"modified":"2024-12-04T01:24:16","modified_gmt":"2024-12-04T06:24:16","slug":"xabi-alonso-lost-rookie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ripped.topps.com\/uk\/xabi-alonso-lost-rookie\/","title":{"rendered":"Xabi Alonso | Lost Rookie of The Week"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"hero-container hero-image-container\" id=\"hero-image-container\">\n  <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"hero-image\" src=\"https:\/\/ripped.topps.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/xabi-alonso-lost-rookie-png.webp\" \/>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>In this article, we commemorate the launch of Xabi Alonso&#8217;s &#8216;Lost Rookie&#8217; card, by looking back on his legacy at Real Sociedad and his contribution to their European campaigns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>Xabi Alonso\u2019s debut season in the UEFA Champions League with Real Sociedad in 2003\/04 was a testament to his burgeoning talent as a midfield maestro. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After helping his boyhood club secure a second-place finish in La Liga the previous season, Alonso stepped onto Europe\u2019s grandest stage with poise and composure. Real Sociedad were drawn into a challenging group featuring Juventus, Galatasaray, and Olympiacos. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Alonso\u2019s vision, passing range, and leadership were pivotal as the Basque club defied expectations, advancing to the knockout stages after finishing second in their group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> His standout performances showcased his ability to control games against elite opposition, cementing his reputation as one of Europe\u2019s brightest young midfielders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> Although Real Sociedad\u2019s journey ended in the Round of 16 against Lyon, Alonso\u2019s Champions League debut underscored his readiness for football\u2019s highest levels and laid the groundwork for a stellar career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Where to Get Xabi Alonso&#8217;s &#8216;Lost Rookie&#8217; Card<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-trading-card-vertical\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"750\" data-id=\"80427\" src=\"https:\/\/ripped.topps.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/artcl-16c2s-24lrc-0061_1-700x750.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-80427\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-trading-card-vertical\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"750\" data-id=\"80423\" src=\"https:\/\/ripped.topps.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/artcl-16c2s-24lrc-0061_back_1-700x750.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-80423\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Alonso&#8217;s &#8216;Lost Rookie&#8217; card is available via <a href=\"https:\/\/uk.topps.com\/products\/the-lost-rookie-card-xabi-alonso\">Topps.com<\/a> until 29\/11\/24.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to know more about these cards, the different variants on offer, and what makes them so special, follow the link here: <a href=\"https:\/\/ripped.topps.com\/uk\/what-are-topps-lost-rookie-cards\/\">https:\/\/ripped.topps.com\/uk\/what-are-topps-lost-rookie-cards\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In this article, we commemorate the launch of Xabi Alonso&#8217;s &#8216;Lost Rookie&#8217; card, by looking back on his legacy at Real Sociedad and his contribution to their European campaigns. Xabi Alonso\u2019s debut season in the UEFA Champions League with Real Sociedad in 2003\/04 was a testament to his burgeoning talent as a midfield maestro. After [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":606,"featured_media":80419,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"mc4wp_mailchimp_campaign":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[9230,9229],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-80418","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-football-3","category-new-releases"],"acf":{"color_theme":"rgba(255,80,119,1)"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ripped.topps.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80418","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ripped.topps.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ripped.topps.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ripped.topps.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/606"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ripped.topps.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=80418"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ripped.topps.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80418\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ripped.topps.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/80419"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ripped.topps.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=80418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ripped.topps.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=80418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ripped.topps.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=80418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}