Born on this day in 1990 was Marcos Alonso, a former Sunderland loanee who went on to win both the Premier League in 2017 and the Champions League in 2021.
Football has always played a fundamental role in the life of Alonso. He was born into a footballing family, with this father playing for Spanish giants Barcelona and Atlético Madrid during the mid to late 80s. He spend his youth rising through the ranks of Real Madrid, which culminated in his debut for the side at the age of 20, managing to keep a clean sheet in a 2-0 away win to Racing Santander.
From here in 2010, the career of the promising left back gained momentum, signing for then Premier League side Bolton Wanderers, where he started an impressive 35 times at a young age, scoring 5 goals along the way. His talents were beginning to be recognised by management and fans alike, seeing him win the Bolton News’ Player of the Year award, with his first full season at the top echelons of the game being described by journalist Marc Illes as, ‘a break-out season for the former Real Madrid starlet’.
Following what was deemed a very successful spell at Bolton, he signed for prominent Italian club Fiorentina. He made an impressive 58 appearances before, as we all know, in the winter of 2014, Gus Poyet brought him in on loan in an effort to save the lads from the looming possibility of relegation.
Gus famously claimed that we were in need of a ‘miracle’ after a disappointing result away to Tottenham a couple of months after Alonso had signed stating we need ‘something special’. During his time at Sunderland, Alonso matured into this ‘something special’ we needed. His debut did not disappoint, with him winning Man of the Match in Sunderland’s famous 2-1 win at home to Manchester United in the League Cup. The Spaniard was instrumental in our survival that year, grinding out several impressive defensive performances. Notable performances against what would be his future club Chelsea and Manchester United again, this time in the league, saw the lads finish a respectable 14th and his legacy secured at the club.
Following his successful stint on Wearside, he continued his impressive performances as a regular for Fiorentina, scoring his debut goal in their Europa League tie against Roma. Alonso went on to make a further 70 appearances for the club. Talent like his doesn’t go unnoticed, and this resulted in a high profile move back to England at the end of the 2015/16 season.
At the time, signed a deal with £24 million with Chelsea. He had been at the club for over 5 years and in that time won a Champions League, a Premier League and has been a part of the Premier League’s Team of the Year, as well as winning many other major honours including the FA Cup. He has cemented himself as one of our most talented defenders in recent years and is someone who we can look to with pride. It was during his time on Wearside where he really blossomed and became accustomed to modern Premier League football, a positive experience that defined his decision to return to what is considered by most as the best league on the planet.
Talking about this time at Sunderland, Alonso stated, “The Stadium of Light is a great stadium and I have great memories. It's a very good crowd - I think one of the best in England.” A reputation upheld by our mighty following, both home and away.
Marcos, now in his early thirties, is playing for European giants Barcelona as backup to fellow Spaniard Jordi Alba. As he gets older and loses his pace, he's probably better suited to the slower, more technical nature of the Spanish league. Happy birthday Marcus...
