Father of former Chelsea and Barcelona star Marcos Alonso, Marcos Alonso Pena, has been confirmed dead after a long illness.
Spanish media outlets reported that the Spain football icon, Marcos Alonso Pena, suffered from an unknown illness before finally giving up the ghost at 63.
Marcos Alonso Pena was not an obscure figure in Spanish football, but he started and ended his career in Spain unlike his son Marcos Alonso, who is a renowned and top Spanish footballer who has played for top Premier League clubs such as Chelsea and Bolton Wanderers.
Marcos Alonso is currently playing for Barcelona after joining the club from Chelsea, alongside his former Chelsea teammate Antonio Rudiger who quit the Blues for the La Liga side at the end of last season.
Marcos Alonso Pena has a modest football profile in Spain after playing for two top clubs in the LaLiga, and other smaller clubs. It appears his son has surpassed his father’s limits by taking his football career outside the shores of Spain.
Marcos Alonso Pena played for Atletico Madrid and Barcelona during his days as a footballer. He also played for Spain national team where he won 22 caps before calling time on his career in 1991.
He started his career with Racing Santander in the late 70s before moving to Atletico Madrid.
After his first spell with Atletico Madrid, he joined Barcelona, where he went on to play 124 matches and scored 28 goals over five years.
Pena played as a winger throughout his football career and had returned to Atletico and Santander later in his career, before retirement.
Reacting to the shock demise of the footbal icon, Barcelona sent condolence to the family of the deceased who dies as a former player of the team and a father to a first-team player Marcos Alonso.
Taking to its official Twitter Handle, Barcelona wrote,
“FC Barcelona would like to express its deepest condolences for the passing of former Barça player and father of a first-team player Marcos Alonso Peña.
“All of our strength to Marcos Alonso and his entire family. Rest in peace.”
Pena had a double stint with Atletico Madrid and Racing Santander each. In his first spell with Racing Santander, Pena scored 5 goals in 51 appearances. In his second spell, he scored 3 goals in 7 appearances.
In his first spell with Atletico Madrid, he had 10 goals in 90 appearances. In his second spell, he had 2 goals in 29 appearances.
In his 124 appearances for Barcelona, he had 28 goals.
In his 22 appearances for Spain, he scored only one goal.
After retiring from football in 1991, Marcus Alonso ventured into football coaching. Some of the top clubs he has managed include his former clubs Atletico Madrid and Racing Santander.
He had also managed Sevilla, Malaga, Valladolid, Zaragoza, Rayo Vallecano, and Granada.
