Diego Martín Alonso López (; born 16 April 1975) is an Uruguayan professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

and former player who played as a striker. Other than in his own country, he played football in Argentina, Spain, Mexico and China in a 16-year career, notably winning the

2001–02 Segunda División The 2001–02 Segunda División season saw 22 teams participate in the second flight Spanish league. The teams that promoted to La Liga were Atlético Madrid, Racing de Santander and Recreativo de Huelva. The teams that relegated to Segunda Divi ...

with

Atlético Madrid Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), commonly referred to as Atlético Madrid or simply Atlético, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid that plays in La Liga. The club play their home game ...

while being crowned top scorer. He represented

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

at the

1999 Copa América The 1999 Copa América was a football tournament held in Paraguay, from 29 June to 18 July. It was organized by CONMEBOL, South America's football governing body. In order to bring the number of competing teams to twelve, CONMEBOL invited CONCAC ...

. Alonso began working as a coach in 2011, being in charge of clubs in Uruguay, Paraguay, Mexico and the United States and leading

Pachuca Pachuca (; ), formally known as Pachuca de Soto, is the capital and largest city of the east-central Mexico, Mexican States of Mexico, state of Hidalgo (state), Hidalgo, located in the south-central part of the state. Pachuca Municipality, Pach ...

to the 2016 Clausura and the

2016–17 CONCACAF Champions League The 2016–17 CONCACAF Champions League (officially the 2016–17 Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons) was the 9th edition of the CONCACAF Champions League under its current name, and overall the 52nd edition of the prem ...

titles. In December 2021, he was appointed at the Uruguay national side, coaching them at the

2022 World Cup The 2022 FIFA World Cup was the 22nd FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...

and leaving his position following a group stage exit. In October 2023, he signed for

Sevilla Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula. Seville ...

, being dismissed two months later.

Playing career

Club

Alonso was born in

Montevideo Montevideo (, ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2023 census, the city proper has a population of 1,302,954 (about 37.2% of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

, the country's capital. He made his professional debut with Bella Vista where he remained four seasons, helping the side to the

Uruguayan Segunda División The Segunda División Profesional is the second division of professional football in Uruguay, established in 1942. The league is sometimes referred to as ''Primera B''. In 1942, the Segunda División was established to replace the amateur Uruguaya ...

title in 1997. After a brief spell in Argentina for

Gimnasia La Plata Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata (; ''La Plata Gymnastics and Fencing Club''), also known simply as Gimnasia, is an Argentine professional sports club based in the city of La Plata, Buenos Aires Province. Founded in 1887 as "Club de Gimnasia ...

(he would also represent the club towards the end of his career), Alonso moved to Spain, where he played with five teams in as many years:

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

(where he scored 22 goals in 2001–02's

Segunda División The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commonly known as Segunda División or La Liga 2, and officially known as LaLiga HyperMotion for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spa ...

, helping the ''Colchoneros'' to return to

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...

and forming an efficient attacking partnership with countryman Fernando Correa, who added 13),

Racing de Santander Real Racing Club de Santander, S.A.D. (), also known as Racing de Santander () or simply Racing, is a football club based in Santander, Spain, Santander, Cantabria, Spain, that currently competes in Segunda División, the second tier of the Spani ...

Málaga Málaga (; ) is a Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 591,637 in 2024, it is the second-most populo ...

and

Real Murcia Real Murcia Club de Fútbol, S.A.D., commonly known as Real Murcia (, "Royal Murcia"), is a Spanish football club based in Murcia, in the Región de Murcia. Founded in 1919, it currently plays in , playing home matches at Estadio Nueva Condo ...

, where he did not have a good scoring record overall. In between his fourth and fifth club, he played one year in Mexico with

UNAM The National Autonomous University of Mexico (, UNAM) is a public research university in Mexico. It has several campuses in Mexico City, and many others in various locations across Mexico, as well as a presence in nine countries. It also has 34 ...

. In 2006, the 31-year-old Alonso returned to his country and joined hometown's

Nacional Nacional, the Portuguese and Spanish word for "national", may refer to: Airlines * Nacional Transportes Aéreos, a Brazilian airline defunct in 2002 * Transportes Aéreos Nacional, a Brazilian airline defunct in 1961 Bank * Banco Nacional, a ...

. However, shortly after, he moved abroad again, signing with

Shanghai Shenhua Shanghai Shenhua Football Club () is a Chinese professional football club based in Shanghai, that competes in . Shanghai Shenhua plays its home matches at the Shanghai Stadium, located within Xuhui District. The owner of Shanghai Shenhua is ...

in the

Chinese Super League The Chinese Football Super League (), commonly known as the Chinese Super League or the CSL (), also known as the China Resources Beverage Chinese Football Super League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Ch ...

; after two seasons with Gimnasia, the veteran switched to

Peñarol Club Atlético Peñarol (), more commonly referred to as Peñarol, is a Uruguayan professional football club based in Montevideo. The club currently competes in the Uruguayan Primera División, the highest tier in Uruguayan football. The nam ...

International

Alonso made seven appearances for the Uruguay national team in two years. His debut came on 17 June 1999 in a 3–2 friendly win over

Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...

, in

Ciudad del Este Ciudad del Este (, Spanish for Eastern City; often shortened as CDE) is the second-largest city in Paraguay and capital of the Alto Paraná Department, situated on the Paraná River. It is located 327 km east of Asunción, the capital, and i ...

. Alonso was chosen for the nation's squad for that year's

Copa América The CONMEBOL Copa América (; known until 1975 as the South American Football Championship), often simply called the Copa America, is the top men's quadrennial association football, football tournament contested among list of men's national ass ...

, and scored on his quarter-final

penalty shootout The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...

attempt (5–3 victory) for the eventual runners-up, also against Paraguay, the hosts. In spite of his season with Atlético he was not selected for the

2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea/Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams organized by ...

, and subsequently criticised manager

Víctor Púa Víctor Haroldo Púa Sosa (born 31 May 1956 in Paso de los Toros) is an Uruguayan former football player and football manager who currently serves as an academy manager for Peñarol. Career He coached the Uruguay U-20 national team, finishing ...

Coaching career

Early career

Alonso started working as a manager in 2011, being in charge in quick succession of Bella Vista,

Guaraní Guarani, Guaraní or Guarany may refer to Ethnography * Guaraní people, an indigenous people from South America's interior (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia) * Guarani language, or Paraguayan Guarani, an official language of Paraguay * G ...

, Peñarol and Olimpia (the second and fourth sides from the

Paraguayan Primera División The División Profesional de la Paraguayan Football Association, Asociación Paraguaya de Fútbol (; "Professional Division of the Paraguayan Football Association"), also known as the Primera División (; "first division"), or due to sponsorship ...

Pachuca

In December 2014, Alonso was appointed at

of the Mexican

Liga MX Liga MX, also known as Liga BBVA MX for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Mexico and the highest level of the Mexican football league system. Formerly known as Liga Mayor (1943–1949) and also as Primera Divis ...

. He led them to the 2016 Clausura and the subsequent edition of the

CONCACAF Champions League The CONCACAF Champions Cup, formerly known as CONCACAF Champions League (2008–2023), is an international association football competition organized by CONCACAF as its top continental tournament for clubs from North America, Central America, ...

. On 4 May 2018, he was released.

Monterrey

On 2 June 2018, Alonso was named coach of

Monterrey Monterrey (, , abbreviated as MtY) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern Mexican state of Nuevo León. It is the ninth-largest city and the second largest metropolitan area, after Greater Mexico City. Located at the foothills of th ...

. In May of the following year, after the 2–1 aggregate victory over

Tigres UANL Club Tigres de la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, abbreviated as Tigres UANL and simply known as Tigres or internationally as Tigres de México, is a Mexican professional Association football, football club based in the Monterrey metropo ...

in the Champions League final, he became the first manager to win the competition with two different clubs. On 30 September 2019, following a 2–0 loss to the same opposition that left his team in 12th place on the general table, he was dismissed.

Inter Miami

On 30 December 2019, Alonso was announced as the inaugural head coach of

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

side Inter Miami. On 7 January 2021, he left by mutual consent.

Uruguay national team

Alonso was appointed manager of Uruguay on 14 December 2021, replacing

Óscar Tabárez Óscar Washington Tabárez Silva (; born 3 March 1947), known as ''El Maestro'' (The Teacher), is a Uruguayan former professional football manager and former player. After an unassuming career as a player and after working as a primary school ...

who had occupied the position for the previous 15 years. On 24 March 2022, after four wins in his first four games in charge, he secured qualification for the World Cup in Qatar. In December, after failing to progress from the group stage in the finals, he presented his resignation and cited his desire to return to club duties.

Sevilla

On 10 October 2023, Alonso was named manager of

, taking over from José Luis Mendilibar; the side stood 14th in the table at the time of his arrival. On 16 December, having failed to win in eight league matches and having been eliminated from the

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...

group stage as last, he was dismissed.

Panathinaikos

On 10 June 2024, Alonso signed a two-year contract with Panathinaikos of

Super League Greece The Super League Greece 1 (), or Stoiximan Super League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Greece and the highest level of the Greek football league system. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and repla ...

. He was sacked on 29 October, with his team eighth in the table.

Personal life

Alonso is a cousin of Iván Alonso, who also played several years in Spain, mainly with Alavés. His uncle Daniel represented Sevilla and Castellón in the 70s.

Managerial statistics

Honours

Player

Bella Vista *

: 1997 Atlético Madrid *

: 2001–02 UNAM *

: Apertura 2004 *

Campeón de Campeones Campeón de Campeones () is an association football competition in Mexico and the domestic super cup between the Liga MX champions of the ''Apertura'' and ''Clausura'' tournaments. It was initially a super cup match between the league and cup cha ...

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

Shanghai *

A3 Champions Cup A3 Champions Cup (also known as East Asian Champions Cup) was an annual football (soccer) tournament jointly organized by the China PR, Japan and Korea Republic football Association. It began in 2003, involving the league champions of Chinese Supe ...

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

Peñarol *

Uruguayan Primera División The Liga Profesional de Primera División (American Spanish , , local: , ''First Division''), named "Torneo Uruguayo Copa Coca-Cola" for sponsorship reasons, is the highest professional Association football, football league in Uruguay organized b ...

: 2009–10 *

Copa Libertadores The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as Copa Libertadores de América (), is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in South American club football. The tournam ...

runner-up:

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

Uruguay *

runner-up:

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

Individual *

Pichichi Trophy In Spanish Association football, football, the Pichichi Trophy () is awarded by the sports newspaper ''Marca (newspaper), Marca'' to the top goalscorer of each La Liga season. Named after the Athletic Bilbao striker Pichichi (footballer), Rafael ...

(Segunda División): 2001–02

Manager

Pachuca *Liga MX: Clausura 2016 *

: 2016–17 *

Copa MX Copa MX, also known as Copa Corona MX for sponsorship reasons, was an association football competition in Mexico and the domestic cup tournament for clubs at the highest and second levels of Mexican football league system. Formerly known as Copa ...

runner–up: Apertura 2017 *

FIFA Club World Cup The FIFA Club World Cup (FIFA CWC) is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (FIFA), the sport's global sports governing body, governing body. The compe ...

third place:

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

Monterrey *CONCACAF Champions League:

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

Individual *CONCACAF Champions League Team of the Tournament:

References

External links

* *
National team data
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Alonso, Diego 1975 births Living people Uruguayan men's footballers Footballers from Montevideo Men's association football forwards Uruguayan Primera División players Uruguayan Segunda División players C.A. Bella Vista players Club Nacional de Football players Peñarol players Argentine Primera División players Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata footballers La Liga players Segunda División players Valencia CF players Atlético Madrid footballers Racing de Santander players Málaga CF players Real Murcia CF players Liga MX players Club Universidad Nacional footballers Chinese Super League players Shanghai Shenhua F.C. players Uruguay men's international footballers 1999 Copa América players Uruguayan expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Argentina Expatriate men's footballers in Spain Expatriate men's footballers in Mexico Expatriate men's footballers in China Uruguayan expatriate sportspeople in Argentina Uruguayan expatriate sportspeople in Spain Uruguayan expatriate sportspeople in Mexico Uruguayan expatriate sportspeople in China Uruguayan football managers Uruguayan Primera División managers C.A. Bella Vista managers Peñarol managers Paraguayan Primera División managers Club Guaraní managers Club Olimpia managers Liga MX managers C.F. Pachuca managers C.F. Monterrey managers Major League Soccer head coaches Inter Miami CF head coaches La Liga managers Sevilla FC managers Super League Greece managers Panathinaikos F.C. managers Uruguay national football team managers 2022 FIFA World Cup managers Uruguayan expatriate football managers Expatriate football managers in Paraguay Expatriate football managers in Mexico Expatriate soccer coaches in the United States Expatriate football managers in Spain Expatriate football managers in Greece Uruguayan expatriate sportspeople in Paraguay Uruguayan expatriate sportspeople in the United States Uruguayan expatriate sportspeople in Greece