Page 2 - 5 players you probably didn’t know played for Real Madrid

4. Marcos Alonso

Alonso made one appearance in added time for Real Madrid. Credits: Official Twitter/@squawka

A graduate of the Real Madrid academy, there was a time when Marcos Alonso was considered to be the future of the club. However, due to the options available on the Madrid bench at the time, he never really tasted regular first-team action and was forced to seek a move elsewhere for playing time.

Alonso made the step up to the senior side from the B team in 2009 and made his solitary appearance for the club in April of the following year, brought on by Manuel Pellegrini to replace Gonzalo Higuain in the 90th minute of a 2-0 win away to Racing Santander.

A move to England with Bolton Wanderers followed, where he became a first-team regular before moving to the Serie A with Fiorentina in 2013. He was lured back to the Premier League for a loan spell with Sunderland in 2014 before completing a permanent move back to England with Chelsea in 2016, where he still plays.

While his defensive displays leave much to be desired, Alonso’s attacking output is up there with the best in the league. The Spanish international was an integral part of Antonio Conte’s title-winning Chelsea side in 2016-17 and has lifted the FA Cup and the Europa League with the Blues as well.

About the author

Vaibhav is a European and international football journalist who writes post-match articles for Sportskeeda. A post-graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, he boasts a total experience of 6 years and has worked for reputed websites such as Times Internet and Men's Health India.

Vaibhav's journey as a football fan began after he was left impressed by the fast-paced action and the gripping storylines of the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He admires Kaka's elegance and determination, while his favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson due to the Scotsman's decision-making, vision and man-management abilities. He is also a passionate Manchester United supporter, and believes that Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland could create a historic rivalry similar to the Ronaldo-Messi one.

Vaibhav always cross-checks his information from a number of trustworthy websites and relies on his creative writing skills to produce compelling content. His exploits in journalism have led him to interviewing Indian footballers Robin Singh and Eugeneson Lyngdoh in his career so far.

Vaibhav’s favorite FIFA World Cup moment is Andres Iniesta's tribute to Daniel Jarque in the final of the 2010 edition. When not writing, he likes to read murder mysteries and watch stand-up comedy.

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Edited by Vishal Subramanian

5 players you probably didn’t know played for Real Madrid | La Liga 2019-20

4. Marcos Alonso