Joaquín (footballer, born 1956)


Joaquín Alonso González, known simply as Joaquín, is a Spanish retired footballer who played as an attacking midfielder.

Club career

Alonso was born in Oviedo, Asturias. During his 16-year professional career, he played solely for Sporting de Gijón even though he was born in the city of neighbouring Oviedo. After 17 appearances and one goal in his debut season in La Liga he became an undisputed starter, going on to appear in a further 462 top division games until June 1992, with a total of 65 goals scored.
In the 1986–87 campaign, as the team finished fourth, Joaquín netted eight times in 40 contests. He continued to appear prominently until the end of his career, retiring at the age of 36 with the most matches played in the Spanish top flight, a record which stood for less than one year, however.

International career

Joaquín earned 18 caps and scored once for Spain, and was selected to the 1982 FIFA World Cup squad. His debut came on 14 November 1979 in a 1–3 friendly defeat with Denmark, in Cádiz.
In 1996, Joaquín began playing beach soccer for the Spanish national team. In 2002 he was appointed their head coach, and stayed in the role for 17 years until he stepped down in November 2019.
Joaquín also served on the technical staff of the women's national team in the same sport.

International goals