Chelsea’s Alonso proud of family heritage

Chelsea wing-back Marcos Alonso believes his fine form for the Blues this season is down to his family’s fine footballing pedigree, as well as the coaching he has received in south-west London.

The 26-year-old was something of a surprise signing by manager Antonio Conte in the summer, who spent £24million on the defender after relatively unsuccessful stints with Fiorentina and Sunderland (on loan).

But that has proved to be shrewd business, with Alonso a fixture in the Chelsea team that has stormed to the top of the Premier League table, scoring a useful five goals along the way.

And having had both his father and grandfather play for Spain, he believes some of their experiences of success rubbed off on him.

“I used to love to go and train with the players when I was a little kid,” said Alonso, whose father Marcos Alonso Peña managed Sevilla, Atletico Madrid and Malaga.

“It wasn’t very often because I used to go to school every day, but I will always remember the few days when I went to train with the big teams because I really enjoyed that time. It was a great experience.”

Alonso’s grandfather, Marcos Alonso Imaz, is a club legend at Real Madrid having won five European Cups and five Spanish titles.

“At the time my grandad was still alive, he came to two or three games in my first year,” Alonso added.

“Everyone wanted a picture with him instead of watching us play! I used to feel very proud of that, of my grandfather being so popular there and so loved by the people.

“My father and my grandfather didn’t really give me too much advice.

“But with the example they gave me, and from spending all my life hearing talk about football, I think it’s been helpful to have them both.”