Norberto Alonso facts for kids
Alonso in 1972
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||
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| Full name | Norberto Osvaldo Alonso | ||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 4 January 1953 | ||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Vicente López, Argentina | ||||||||||||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in) | ||||||||||||
| Playing position | Attacking midfielder | ||||||||||||
| Number | 10 | ||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||
| River Plate | |||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||
| 1970–1976 | River Plate | 168 | (68) | ||||||||||
| 1976 | Olympique Marseille | 17 | (6) | ||||||||||
| 1977–1981 | River Plate | 142 | (63) | ||||||||||
| 1981–1983 | Vélez Sársfield | 73 | (14) | ||||||||||
| 1983–1987 | River Plate | 64 | (18) | ||||||||||
| Total | 464 | (169) | |||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||
| 1978–1983 | Argentina | 15 | (4) | ||||||||||
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Honours
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Norberto Osvaldo "Beto" Alonso (born January 4, 1953) is a famous former Argentine football player. He was a talented midfielder who played most of his career for River Plate, a big team in Argentina. He won 9 major titles with them and is known as one of their best players ever. Many people in the 1970s thought he was one of the best South American players in the world.
Beto Alonso is ranked fifth in River Plate's history for scoring goals, with 149 goals. He is also seventh for playing the most matches, with 374 games. He won important tournaments like the Copa Libertadores, the Intercontinental Cup, and the FIFA World Cup.
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Beto Alonso's Club Career
Norberto Alonso was born in Vicente López, Argentina. However, he grew up in a less wealthy area called Los Polvorines. He was an attacking midfielder who joined River Plate's youth teams. At that time, River Plate had not won a championship title for 18 years (from 1957 to 1975).
When Angel Labruna became the coach in 1975, Alonso was a key player for the team. He wore the important number 10 jersey. With new players like Roberto Perfumo and Ubaldo Fillol, and other players like Daniel Passarella getting better, Alonso helped his team win two big tournaments in 1975. These wins started a period where River Plate won seven local titles between 1975 and 1981.
Playing for Olympique Marseille
In 1976, Alonso moved to play for Olympique Marseille in France. However, he did not have much success there. So, River Plate arranged for him to come back to Argentina in 1977.
Return to River Plate and More Wins
Between 1979 and 1981, River Plate won four more local titles. The team became one of the most valuable in the world. They even had two strong teams: one for league games and another for Copa Libertadores matches.
In 1981, Alonso sometimes had disagreements with the coach, Alfredo Di Stéfano. The coach often chose younger players instead of Alonso. After that season, Alonso was sold to Vélez Sársfield in 1982. He played there for a while before returning to River Plate again for the 1984 season.
Many talented midfielders came from River Plate's youth system during Alonso's time. These included players like Alejandro Sabella, Néstor Gorosito, and Pedro Troglio.
Alonso was a very important player for the successful River Plate team of 1985–86. This team won River Plate's first ever Copa Libertadores and the Intercontinental Cup. In 1985, his main teammate was Enzo Francescoli. By the time he stopped playing, Alonso had scored 166 goals in 464 matches.
Beto Alonso's International Career
Even though Norberto Alonso was part of the Argentine national team, the coach César Luis Menotti did not plan to use him much for the 1978 FIFA World Cup. Menotti only let Alonso play for a few minutes during the tournament. Argentina went on to win the competition, which was held in their home country.
For the 1978 World Cup, Argentina gave players numbers based on alphabetical order. Because of this, Alonso, who was a midfielder, wore the number 1 jersey. This number is usually given to goalkeepers.
In 1983, the new national coach, Carlos Bilardo, gave Alonso some playing time. However, Bilardo eventually chose younger players like Diego Maradona, Jorge Burruchaga, and Carlos Tapia for Alonso's position.
Life After Football
After he stopped playing football, Alonso started an insurance business. He also worked with other companies. However, he was not a big advertising star. This was partly because Diego Maradona became Argentina's most famous football player after his amazing performances in the 1986 World Cup.
In 1989, Alonso coached River Plate along with Reinaldo Merlo. But they were let go during the season. The new club president had promised to bring in Daniel Passarella as coach. River Plate eventually won the championship that season.
Honours and Awards
Norberto Alonso won many titles and received several awards during his career.
Team Honours
- River Plate
- Primera División (Argentine League Champion): 1975 Nacional, 1975 Metropolitano, 1979 Nacional, 1979 Metropolitano, 1980 Metropolitano, 1981 Nacional, 1985–86
- Copa Libertadores (South American Club Champion): 1986 (also runner-up in 1976)
- Intercontinental Cup (World Club Champion): 1986
- Argentina
- FIFA World Cup: 1978
Individual Awards
- El Gráfico awards:
- Best Player in the Argentine Primera División: 1972 Nacional, 1975 Metropolitano, 1981 Metropolitano
- Best 11 Players in the Argentine Primera División: 1972, 1975, 1981
- El Mundo (Venezuela) awards:
- Second place for South American Footballer of the Year: 1975
- Seventh place for South American Footballer of the Year: 1972 and 1976
- Konex Award: Recognized as one of the Best Argentinian Players of the Decade in 1990
- Clarín Awards: Included among Argentina's greatest "number 10" players in 2010
- Copa Libertadores All-Time Dream Team by Bolavip
- River Plate All-Time Dream Team by Marca: 2020
- IFFHS Argentina All-Time Dream Team (Team C): 2021
See also
In Spanish: Beto Alonso para niños
