Appointed last summer after leaving Bayer Leverkusen, Xabi lasted barely halfway through the season before being sacked and replaced at Real Madrid by Alvaro Arbeloa.
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Capello believes Xabi lacked the personality to lead the Real Madrid dressing room.
He explained on Sky Italia: "Xabi Alonso probably didn't have the right charisma for Real Madrid.
"If the team doesn't follow you, it's because they're not convinced by what you're proposing."
The Italian added: "He fell for this very reason, exaggerating certain principles that the team didn't accept."