From 1 October 1959 until 9 February 2023, Marcos Alonso Pea managed and played football for Spain.
During his playing career, Marcos—as he was simply known—played both as a forward and a right winger.
Marcos Alonso Pena’s Obituary
Cantabria’s Santander is where Marcos was born. After a fruitless stint at Real Madrid’s academy, he made his La Liga debut with Racing de Santander, his hometown club, when he was still under the age of 18. In his second professional season, which ended in relegation, he was already the team’s first-choice player.
Atlético Madrid saw Marcos’ reputation continue to develop, and when FC Barcelona paid 150 million pesetas for his talents in 1982, he was the nation’s most expensive signing at the time. He scored six goals in 30 league games during his rookie season and also scored an injury-time header against Real Madrid in that year’s 2-1 Copa del Rey championship victory.
Alonso afterward transitioned into coaching. He managed Racing and Sevilla FC after leading lowly Rayo Vallecano to their first-ever victory over Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium (2-1). (one top-flight promotion with the latter followed by immediate relegation).
Alonso oversaw Atlético Madrid in the 2000s, which was in the second tier and did not receive a promotion, as well as Real Zaragoza, Real Valladolid, Málaga CF, and Granada 74 CF.
Alonso, a Madrid native, began his career in the Real Madrid development program as a youngster and went on to play for every youth team in the following years. He joined Real Madrid Castilla in 2008, a team that played in Segunda División B, and made his reserve team debut on February 22, 2008, playing the entire game in a 1-0 home loss to AD Alcorcón.
Marcos Alonso Imaz, also known as Marquitos, was Alonso’s grandpa who spent eight years playing for Real Madrid. His father, Marcos Alonso Pea, spent several seasons in Spain’s top division as a player, most notably for Atlético Madrid and Barcelona, who both played at the senior level for Spain.