Marcos Alonso fulfilled his boyhood dream by joining Barcelona from Chelsea earlier this year. He’s happy to play for the club his father played for. At last, he gets to wear the colours everyone in his family adores. But his beginnings couldn’t be farther away from Camp Nou. Namely, he started at Real Madrid.Speaking to Sport, the versatile defender said that starting his career at the rival club wasn’t easy, but underlines that it was fantastic for his development. He was just nine years old when he went to Madrid.”My father’s team has always been Barca. At home, we were all Barcelona fans. When the offer came for me to sign for Real Madrid, it was complicated at first. After completing the tryouts reluctantly, I was invited to go there. My parents laughed at the news. In the end, it was the best thing for me. I spent many years there, developing and growing as a footballer and as a person. I cannot say otherwise.”##NAJAVA_MECA_6787159##He played for Los Blancos reserve side and has only played a single minute for the first team, coming on as a 90th-minute substitute for Gonzalo Higuain in a league game in 2009. He decided to leave in search of more playing time and went far north to Bolton Wanderers, where he got a chance to become a Premier League player at just 20. It proved to be the right decision.”I wanted to play, and I knew that at Real Madrid, it would be difficult. At that time, the Premier was growing a lot and I decided on a change of scenery. It was a good experience and it helped me a lot to grow. When you look back, I may have made a risky decision, but with confidence and the support of my family. That’s all I needed.”EUROPA LEAGUE BLOCKBUSTER! Manchester United will play Barcelona for a place in the last 16His dream, however, was still to sign for Barcelona. “At any point in my career, if you ask me which team I wanted to play for, I tell you that I dreamed to play for Barca, like my father. It’s the team that was when I was little, and maybe it was another risky decision, getting out of my comfort zone. But it’s a beautiful project that motivates me a lot. After so much time away in England, playing in La Liga feels good. I wanted to do it before I end my career.”His dream is fulfilled. At the age of 32, it was about time.
