Xabi Alonso’s eldest son was born in Liverpool in 2008, wears the same squad number his father carried at three of Europe’s biggest clubs, and at 18 is heading back to England.
On March 11, 2026, Nagore Aramburu posted a birthday photo on Instagram. Her eldest son had just turned 18. The comments came quickly. “Xabi Alonso 2,” wrote one follower. “Clavadito,” said another.
Jon Alonso Aramburu, the 18-year-old son of Xabi Alonso and Nagore Aramburu, was born on March 11, 2008, in Liverpool, England, during his father’s years at Anfield. He plays as a defensive midfielder, wears squad number 14, and has competed in youth football for Zuatzu KE in San Sebastián and TSV Meerbusch U17 in Düsseldorf. In July 2026, with Xabi confirmed as Chelsea’s manager on a four-year contract, the family is returning to England, where his father played and he was born.
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The Number 14 and the Defensive Midfielder
Jontxu wears the squad number 14 at every club he has represented. His father carried the same number at Liverpool from 2004 to 2009, at Real Madrid from 2009 to 2014, and at Bayern Munich through to his retirement in 2017. Xabi wore 14 at Liverpool when he scored in the 2005 Champions League final against AC Milan, and kept the number through his years at Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, winning league titles and European honours at both clubs. Spanish publication Divinity confirmed Jontxu’s use of the number in April 2026 coverage following his birthday.
The position is also his father’s. Xabi Alonso spent his entire playing career as a defensive midfielder. Jontxu plays there too, from his first years in Basque youth football through his time in Germany, and has worn the same number throughout.
Zuatzu, the Mediterranean International Cup, and Moving to Germany
Jontxu’s club career has followed the Alonso family’s geography from the start.
He played for Zuatzu KE, a youth club in San Sebastián in the Basque Country, through his early and mid-teenage years. The family maintained strong ties to the Basque region during Xabi’s managerial career at Real Sociedad B from 2019 to 2022, and Jontxu’s connection to Zuatzu continued well into the years that followed. In March 2024, he was named captain of the Zuatzu U16 side for the Mediterranean International Cup in Catalonia, one of the most competitive youth tournaments in Europe. The team went through the group stage without a defeat:
| Match | Result |
|---|---|
| Zuatzu vs Safor CF | 5–2 |
| Martorell CF vs Zuatzu | 0–2 |
| Boca OC vs Zuatzu | 0–1 |
| Zuatzu vs EF Ángel Pedraza | 1–0 |
| Zuatzu vs Girona (Round of 16) | 0–1 |
Divinity reported that during his Zuatzu years, Xabi Alonso attended the club’s matches on multiple occasions and took a seat on the coaching bench to help direct his son’s play. A World Cup winner and Bundesliga champion, on a Basque youth club touchline.
For the 2024–25 season, with the family based near Düsseldorf during Xabi’s time at Bayer Leverkusen, Jontxu joined TSV Meerbusch U17. Since July 2025, Transfermarkt has listed his club status as unknown, a period that corresponds with the family’s move to Madrid when Xabi was appointed Real Madrid head coach.
Three Generations Playing the Same Position
Jontxu’s football identity sits inside a sporting inheritance that stretches back five decades.
His grandfather, Periko Alonso, whose full name is Miguel Ángel Alonso Oyarbide, was born in Tolosa, Gipuzkoa, in 1953. A professional central midfielder, Periko earned 20 caps for Spain and played five matches at the 1982 World Cup on home soil. His trophy record across Real Sociedad and FC Barcelona:
- La Liga titles in 1981 and 1982, won with Real Sociedad
- Copa del Rey in 1983, won with FC Barcelona
- La Liga title in 1985, won with FC Barcelona
Xabi Alonso followed the same path from Real Sociedad, going on to win a Champions League with Liverpool, two La Ligas, two European Championships, and the 2010 World Cup. Xabi’s brother Mikel Alonso also played professionally as a midfielder. A third brother, Jon, works as a football referee.
Who Is Nagore Aramburu?
Jontxu’s mother is Nagore Aramburu, originally from Azpeitia in Gipuzkoa, the same Basque province Xabi’s family is from. She moved to San Sebastián at ten years old and met Xabi there in 2003 at a social gathering. In an interview she gave in 2011, Nagore described how Xabi asked to borrow her phone that evening, then called himself on it to get her number. Their first date was dinner in San Sebastián, followed by a jazz club where they ran into a young Mikel Arteta and his girlfriend.
She won the Best Revelation Actress award from the Unión de Actores Vascos in 1999, appeared in Spanish films and television productions including Patria and Irati, worked as a model and brand ambassador, and ran a fashion business in San Sebastián. She studied Business Management and Tourism at the Universidad de Deusto in Bilbao.
The couple married on July 11, 2009, at the Iglesia de Zorroaga in San Sebastián with around 200 guests. Jontxu, 16 months old, was in their arms at the ceremony. Daughter Ane followed in 2010, daughter Emma in 2013.
Back to England: What the Chelsea Move Means
Xabi Alonso was confirmed as Chelsea manager on May 17, 2026, signing a four-year deal at Stamford Bridge that begins on July 1. He had left Real Madrid by mutual consent on January 12, 2026, after a seven-month tenure in which his working relationships with several key players deteriorated.
For Jontxu, the appointment means a return to England, the country where he was born. Since the family left Liverpool in 2009, they have lived in Madrid, Munich, San Sebastián, and the Düsseldorf area. London is the next address.
His club registration has been listed as unknown on Transfermarkt since July 2025. At 18, with his family heading to London, he is going back to a country he was born in but left as a toddler.
