Blue beginning

Alonso’s Chelsea tale actually began in 2011, when he used to come and sit in the Shed Upper as a guest of his good friend and former Bolton team-mate Daniel Sturridge.

‘I never went to the Emirates or White Hart Lane, I only came here to Stamford Bridge,’ he told us last year. ‘When I got the call from Chelsea to sign it was a no-brainer! This is my team. It was a dream come true.’

That call arrived in August 2016, late in the summer transfer window. New boss Antonio Conte had seen Alonso’s work first hand in Italy, and didn’t hesitate in adding the 25-year-old to his squad.

He debuted in a League Cup win at Leicester a few weeks later, but it was his maiden league outing that proved pivotal. With Chelsea trailing 3-0 at Arsenal, Conte brought Alonso on for Cesc Fabregas and switched from a 4-2-3-1 shape to a 3-4-3. Considering what followed, it must go down as one of the most seismic substitutions in Chelsea history.

History maker

Alonso started in that role in our next fixture, at Hull. We won 2-0, the first of 13 consecutive league wins, 10 of them without conceding. Alonso didn’t miss a minute, and in doing so became the first player in English football league history to win in each of his first 14 starts for one club.

During that hot streak Alonso had opened his Chelsea account with a goal against Everton, and it was his name that rang around the King Power in January as he netted a brace in a comfortable win at Leicester. A strong header, underlining his bravery, put us ahead in what would prove a crucial home victory over Arsenal the following month.

The Spaniard continued to look increasingly strong and assured as the Blues closed in on the league title, and he ably demonstrated he could provide a left-footed free-kick threat with a goal at Bournemouth in the April. One of our new champions ended the season a clear first-choice in the side with six goals scored, and impressive defensive performances, too.

Derby delight

Alonso started his second season in west London with a bang, scoring both goals in a famous win at Wembley against Tottenham, and by the end of our first game in 2018 he already had six league goals to his name, many of the spectacular variety.

He would finish with eight goals in all competitions, his highest figure in blue, and picked up an FA Cup winners’ medal after we defeated Manchester United 1-0. Alonso came as close as anyone to adding to Eden Hazard’s penalty, seeing his shot well saved by David de Gea.

The arrival of Maurizio Sarri ahead of 2018/19 prompted a change in formation to 4-3-3, and Alonso would look equally as comfortably at left-back in the new system. He set up goals in each of our first four fixtures, and in the second scored a late winner at home to Arsenal. Such was his form he signed a new five-year deal in autumn, with Sarri branding Alonso one of the world’s best in his position.

More silverware

He started each of our first 23 league games and during that period made his 100th Chelsea appearance in a win at Brighton before Christmas. Alonso’s durability and fitness stood out during his time at the Bridge, but a rare injury disrupted his finish to 2018/19. Despite that, he scored a late winner away to Slavia Prague in the Europa League quarter-final first leg en route to lifting that trophy, and bagged our equaliser against top-four rivals Man United at Old Trafford. It went a long way to securing us third place.

Our number three played 29 times in total in Frank Lampard's maiden season in charge, with Cesar Azpilicueta and Emerson Palmieri sharing left-back duties with him at times, though his penchant for crucial goals remained.

It was Alonso's drive from the edge of the box that sealed three points at home to Newcastle in October, before the Spaniard continued his handy habit of netting against our north London rivals when he netted what proved to be the winner in a 2-1 victory over Jose Mourinho's Tottenham.

A week later, his brace on the South Coast earned us a point at Bournemouth and gave him the accolade of having scored more goals than any other defender in the Premier League since his arrival at Chelsea.

When the season resumed after the suspension of sport because of Covid-19, he featured prominently as we secured a top-four berth, and started his second FA Cup final in August 2020, although this one would end in defeat.

Pain and glory

The trickiest period of Alonso’s Chelsea career followed. Taken off at half-time with the Blues 3-0 down at West Brom in our third fixture of 2020/21, Alonso would not play another minute until Thomas Tuchel’s second game in charge in late January. The new boss’s preference for a 3-4-3 shape suited Alonso, who had thrived in a left wing-back role under Conte. He started against Burnley, and, somewhat predictably, marked his return with a sublime volleyed goal that showcased his precocious technical ability.

Alonso would feature in over half of our remaining league fixtures, as well as starting the FA Cup final and playing every minute of our impressive Champions League round of 16 victory over Atletico Madrid.

His major individual contribution at the back end of the season was pivotal in us reaching the top four. Just seconds remained when he forced home Timo Werner’s centre away to Manchester City, securing a 2-1 victory and providing further evidence of his happy knack of scoring at big moments against big teams. Although he remained unused in Porto, a season that had started so badly finished in the best fashion possible.

Captain Marcos

One of our longest-serving players, Alonso achieved some notable firsts in his final campaign at the Bridge. He added the Super Cup and the Club World Cup to his already extensive trophy collection, and captained Chelsea for the first time in a competitive game.

Alonso netted our maiden league goal of the campaign with a trademark free-kick, curled unerringly into the top corner against Crystal Palace. In our next home game, another 3-0 win, this time against Aston Villa, Alonso was handed the armband for the first time as a Chelsea player, reward for his long service.

Alonso had to settle for a watching brief for much of October and November, but he was soon back in the thick of it following Ben Chilwell’s cruciate ligament injury. Alonso started 11 league games in a row over the hectic festive period. As ever, his good fitness and availability proved invaluable with so many other Blues suffering from illness and injury, and he displayed his versatility by reverting to left-back as Tuchel temporarily favoured a four-man defence.

Fitting finale

Prior to the Club World Cup success, in which Alonso played the semi-final, he netted the winner against Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup. On our return to England from Abu Dhabi, Alonso enjoyed a decisive streak in the final third. He set up Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic’s late winners against London rivals Crystal Palace and West Ham respectively, and netted typically well-struck efforts in back-to-back away games at Southampton and Manchester United.

He played every minute of our two marathon domestic cup finals against Liverpool, coming as close as anyone to breaking the deadlock in the FA Cup showpiece with a vicious inswinging free-kick that beat Alisson but rattled the crossbar. He did find the net in our next game, a 1-1 draw with Leicester, in what would prove his final Chelsea appearance. It was fitting he went out with a goal in front of the Stamford Bridge faithful that have sung his name so frequently over the years.

Gracias, Marcos!