Xabi is featured in the fall-winter edition of FHM’s Bionic supplement, under the tagline “your personal trainer.”  Yes, please.

Some of the things in the accompanying interview we already know, but I don’t care.  I’ll just look at the pictures.

The interview

Q:  What are you values as a professional athlete?

A:  I like to be honest and respectful of others, and I think how you behave on the field is very important.

Q:  So, you don’t believe that the end justifies the means?

A:  No.  The end is to win, and the means are to be honest.

Q:  Your career has been brilliant…

A:  Yes, I’m satisfied, but I’m still ambitious.

Q:  Your best game?

A:  I have two: the final of the World Cup this year, and the final of the Champions League in 2005 with Liverpool.

Q:  And the worst?

A:  There have been a lot of deceptions, but I remember especially the 2006 World Cup, when France eliminated us.

Q:  Which athlete do you admire?

A:  Michael Jordan.

Q:  Can we talk about coaches?

A:  Yes, without any problems.

Q:  The best?

A:  Vicente del Bosque, because he’s a great coach and a great person.

Q:  Very different from Luis Aragonés?

A:  Aragonés was more impulsive.

Q:  And José Mourinho?

A:  He has a very elaborate way of working, and he knows what he has to do in each moment.

Q:  And how was Benítez?

A:  He focused more on technical aspects than psychological or personal.

Q:  And how do you prepare for a game?

A:  I try to anticipate and visualize what could happen.  And later, I always get a bit nervous before, but I think that’s necessary.

Q:  What is your strong point on this team?

A:  I think it’s my ability to analyze and organize… I like to be organized both on and off the field.

Q:  It’s been said that you’re quite an elegant man…

A:  I don’t know, maybe it’s from my way of being… I’m very interested in new things: fashion, accessories, watches, gadgets…

Q:  Can you live without technology?

A:  Let’s just say that you shouldn’t deprive me of it: I have a Blackberry, and then from Apple I have everything; the latest is the iPad.

Q:  Your favorite web sites?

A:  http://www.nationalgeographic.com and http://www.ebay.es.

Q:  Music?

A:  When I was younger, Nirvana.  Now, Calamaro, Coldplay, Quique González…

Q:  Movies?

A:  I didn’t like The American with George Clooney, but I did like the latest from Woody Allen.

Q:  Books?

A:  I always read newspapers, and now I’m reading Octopus by Daniel Estulin and El Palestino by Antonio Salas.

Q:  Vacation spots?

A:  European capitals, with London on top of the list.

Q:  Where do you like to get lost?

A:  In the barrio viejo (old town) of San Sebastián.

Q:  And when you’re done with football?

A:  I don’t know, sometimes I fantasize about dedicating myself to something completely different… But it’s a fantasy.

How Xabi takes care of himself

Eating – like a good Basque, Xabi likes to eat.  “Luckily, I can eat everything since I don’t have any weight problems, and I don’t even have a set diet.”  There’s always fresh fish in his refrigerator, and his favorite restaurant, Elkano in Getaria, “never lets me down.”

Personal care – “in addition to basic hygiene, I use gel, shampoo, deodorant, cream for the hair, a moisturizer and cologne daily.”

Exercise – Xabi does the four exercises shown above.  [Note: this would be a good thing to leave lying around the house, to make your man as much like Xabi Alonso as possible.]

And once again, work took a back seat to this blog!