Chelsea news: The truth behind Marcos Alonso’s agreed move to Real Madrid as kid

ATLETICO MADRID may well rue the one that got away when Marcos Alonso runs out for Chelsea at the Wanda Metropolitano tomorrow night.

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Marcos Alonso could easily have been an Atletico Madrid player

For Alonso is a boyhood Atletico fan. His dad Marcos Alonso Pena played for the club in the late 1980s, while also managing them during the 2001/02 campaign which ended in a failed promotion from the Segunda Division.

Alonso has red and white - yes, he really does - blood running through him. The club is in his DNA.

So given his family connection, it’d have been safe to assume Marcos would have joined Atletico after showing promise as a child.

After all, the Adarve Alevin youth team coach Pepe Fernandez had informed Atletico that he was a youngster to watch and the wheels were put in motions to get him to the club. He was the lad - skinny and slight at the time - they wanted.

But it wasn’t to be. Dad Pena put the stop to any agreement because the club was too far away from his son’s school. Instead, Alcobendas - a side based close to the Alonso family home - were the lucky recipient of his services.

Not that Marcos was happy. Spanish newspaper Marca claim Alonso wanted to play for Atletico, who formally offered him a place at their academy.

Atletico’s loss was their arch rivals’ gain. It meant Real Madrid won the race to snap him up, following a season where he scored 25 goals for the Alevin youth side under Fernandez.

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Marcos Alonso takes on Real Madrid during his days at Fiorentina

Although his move to Real frustrated the Alonso family at first.

Grandfather Marquitos, who played for the Bernabeu giants in the 1950s, and son Pena were unhappy that their boy was being used as a winger.

They were also disgruntled by a lack of playing time at Real so Marcos moved back to Alevin for a season, only for him to return a year later.

By this point Fernandez, the man who once recommended him to Atletico, was in charge of Real’s youth sides. He took Alonso under his wing and set him on his way for a professional career.

He broke into the Real Madrid B side but could never push on to the first team. That prompted the Spaniard to join Bolton in 2010 before spells at Fiorentina and Sunderland.

A switch to Chelsea was completed in 2016 and 12 months later he was a champion.

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Marcos Alonso joined Chelsea in 2016 and helped them win the Premier League

ATLETICO MADRID VS CHELSEA

Express Sport looks at the Spanish side ahead of their clash with Chelsea in the Champions League.

DIEGOS

Striker Diego Costa finally has been granted his wish to return to Atletico after three years and two Premier League titles with Chelsea. The Brazil-born Spain striker will be reunited with Diego Simeone, the much admired Atletico boss best remembered by English audiences for being the recipient of David Beckham's petulant kick in England's second-round loss to Argentina at the 1998 World Cup. Simeone has never lost to English opposition as a coach, winning three of the five contests.

CHELSEA CONNECTION

As well as Costa, who will be able to play for Atletico again once their transfer embargo is lifted in January, there are other familiar faces in opposition. Filipe Luis and Fernando Torres, plus Tiago, who is now an assistant coach, all had spells at Stamford Bridge. Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois spent three years on loan at Atletico from Chelsea, winning LaLiga in 2013-14. Radamel Falcao, now at Monaco, had a successful spell at Atletico and an underwhelming one at Chelsea.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS

Chelsea have one win in five European games against Atletico - the first meeting in October 2009. The sides most recently met in the 2013-14 semi-finals. Courtois was permitted to play under UEFA rules. Goalless after the first leg, Atletico won 3-1 at Stamford Bridge to advance to a Madrid derby in the Lisbon final. Real Madrid won La Decima (their 10th European Cup), after more than a decade of trying. But Atletico had won the league title for the first time in 18 years, breaking the Real-Barcelona hegemony.

FORM

Atletico are unbeaten in 11 games in all competitions, including the final four matches of last season. They opened their Champions League campaign with a goalless draw at Roma. Atletico have conceded one goal in their last five games following last Saturday's 2-0 win over Sevilla at the Metropolitano.

METROPOLITANO

Chelsea may be envious of Atletico's modern new home. Los Rojiblancos moved from the fabulous but crumbling Vincente Calderon Stadium this season, playing their first home match at their new ground on September 16 - a 1-0 win over Malaga. Chelsea are considering a rebuild of Stamford Bridge and would likely welcome the influx of foreign investment which has seen Chinese conglomerate Wanda sponsor the Metropolitano.

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