Norberto Alonso

River Plate legend and 1978 World Cup champion.

Norberto Osvaldo Alonso (born 4 January 1953), better known as Beto Alonso, is a former Argentine football midfielder who spent most of his career at River Plate, where he won 9 titles. He remains one of their most notable players. Alonso was regularly regarded as one of the best South American players in the world during the 1970s. A former Copa Libertadores, Intercontinental Cup and FIFA World Cup champion.

Quick Facts

Full name: Norberto Osvaldo Alonso
Born: 4 January 1953
Birthplace: Vicente López, Argentina
Position: Attacking midfielder
Total caps: 464
Total goals: 169

Lore & Background

Alonso was born in Vicente López, Buenos Aires province, but grew up in the poor suburb of Los Polvorines. An attacking midfielder, he rose through the ranks of River's youth divisions as the team was undergoing its infamous dry spell (18 years, 1957 to 1975, without a championship title). When Angel Labruna took the reins in 1975, Alonso was the team's anchor and holder of the No. 10 jersey. With reinforcements Roberto Perfumo and Ubaldo Fillol, and the maturing of players like Daniel Passarella, Carlos Morete, J. J. López and Reinaldo Merlo, Alonso led the squad that won both the Metropolitano and the Nacional tournaments of 1975, ushering in a series of seven local titles in the period 1975–1981.

In 1976, Alonso was transferred to Olympique Marseille, but he was unsuccessful. River Plate arranged for his return in 1977. Between the years 1979–1981, River won four local titles, and became one of the most expensive teams in the world, with a first team (Alonso-Luque) playing in league games and an equally prestigious second team (Carrasco-Ramón Díaz) used mostly in Copa Libertadores matches. During the 1981 'Nacional' tournament (which River would eventually win), Alonso often clashed with then coach Alfredo Di Stéfano (who seldom selected him for the first team and instead put younger players such as Carlos Daniel Tapia and José María Vieta in his position).

After the Nacional, Alonso was put on the transfer list and was sold to Vélez Sársfield on 1982. After playing alongside veteran Carlos Bianchi, he returned to River Plate once again for the 1984 season. Many talented midfielders emerged from River Plate's youth system during Alonso's reign, including Alejandro Sabella, Néstor Gorosito and Pedro Troglio. Alonso was a key player of the successful team of 1985–86 that won River Plate's first Copa Libertadores and Intercontinental Cup.

In 1985, his main partner was Enzo Francescoli. By the time he retired, he had scored 166 goals in 464 matches. Although he was included in the Argentine squad, Alonso was not in the plans of coach César Luis Menotti for the 1978 FIFA World Cup. Menotti gave Alonso only a few minutes of play during the tournament, as Argentina went on to win the competition on home soil.

Did You Know?

He played his last official match on December 4th, 1986, in the Intercontinental Cup final, where he took a quick free kick that led to the only goal.
After retiring, Alonso opened an insurance agency and was a partner in several commercial ventures.
He coached River Plate in 1989 together with Merlo, but was dismissed mid-season.