--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Before Bolton I played for Real Madrid…" description: "\"Before Bolton I played for Real Madrid and I was getting involved in the first-team training since I was 16 and then I played with the first team at 18..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60e/marcos-alonso-9092_first_before-bolton-i-played-for-real-madrid-a_1274468.jpg" --- # Before Bolton I played for Real Madrid and I was getting… ![“Before Bolton I played for Real Madrid and I was getting involved in the first-team training since I was 16 and then I played with the first team at 18.” quote by Marcos Alonso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60e/marcos-alonso-9092_first_before-bolton-i-played-for-real-madrid-a_1274468.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60e/marcos-alonso-9092_first_before-bolton-i-played-for-real-madrid-a_1274468.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60e/marcos-alonso-9092_first_before-bolton-i-played-for-real-madrid-a_1274468.jpg) > “Before Bolton I played for Real Madrid and I was getting involved in the first-team training since I was 16 and then I played with the first team at 18.” [Marcos Alonso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcos-alonso/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. I progressed from youth to first‑team football at Real Madrid, showing early talent development. **In simple terms:** Early talent led to top‑level play. Key Takeaway Invest in youth development. Themes sports career development Mood motivational analytical Type advice informative When to use this quote - academy scouting - professional contracts - player mentorship Key Concepts talent pipelines training regimes early specialization Questions to Reflect On - How can clubs support young athletes? - What balance between training and education? A Different Perspective Early pressure can cause burnout. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fitness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fitness/) [Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) [Getting Involved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/getting-involved/) [Team](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/team/) [Training](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/training/) ## Related quotes > [All my life I had played in a back-four, at Real Madrid Castilla and at Bolton.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcos-alonso/all-my-life-i-had-played-in-a-back-four-at-real-madrid-castilla-and/) [Marcos Alonso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcos-alonso/) > [By the time I turned 16, I'd played more than 300 games outside high school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/by-the-time-i-turned-16-i-d-played-more-than-300-games-outside-high/) [Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/) > [When we played Real Madrid and won 5-3 it was soaking wet and the ball ended up weighing a kilo. It didn't have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eusebio/when-we-played-real-madrid-and-won-5-3-it-was-soaking-wet-and-the/) [Eusebio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eusebio/) > [When I moved from Metz to Monaco, we reached an advanced stage in the Champions League, and we played against Real Madrid. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-adebayor/when-i-moved-from-metz-to-monaco-we-reached-an-advanced-stage-in-the/) [Emmanuel Adebayor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuel-adebayor/) > [I've played for Real Madrid, where the pressure is so huge because you have to go and really win absolutely every game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mesut-ozil/i-ve-played-for-real-madrid-where-the-pressure-is-so-huge-because-you/) [Mesut Ozil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mesut-ozil/) > [I know - without sounding arrogant - that I could've played at Real Madrid... but I didn't work hard enough for that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-prince-boateng/i-know-without-sounding-arrogant-that-i-could-ve-played-at-real/) [Kevin-Prince Boateng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-prince-boateng/) > [When Tottenham played Real Madrid at Wembley and I had to watch... I wanted to play so badly, it was probably the lowest point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-wanyama/when-tottenham-played-real-madrid-at-wembley-and-i-had-to-watch-i/) [Victor Wanyama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-wanyama/) > [I have played for Real Madrid, which is such a big club and where the pressure is so huge because you have to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mesut-ozil/i-have-played-for-real-madrid-which-is-such-a-big-club-and-where-the/) [Mesut Ozil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mesut-ozil/) > [I've played real people before, but I never knew them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelina-jolie/i-ve-played-real-people-before-but-i-never-knew-them/) [Angelina Jolie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelina-jolie/) > [The only time I've played a real baddy was when I was Regan in 'King Lear.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-jensen/the-only-time-i-ve-played-a-real-baddy-was-when-i-was-regan-in-king/) [Ashley Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-jensen/) > [Liverpool have played with no real convention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-houghton/liverpool-have-played-with-no-real-convention/) Ray Houghton > [I've played several real characters, and I've always found it very difficult because you don't want to do an impersonation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-goldwyn/i-ve-played-several-real-characters-and-i-ve-always-found-it-very/) [Tony Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-goldwyn/) > [I've made many films and only a few times I've played real people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-neeson/i-ve-made-many-films-and-only-a-few-times-i-ve-played-real-people/) [Liam Neeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-neeson/) > [So.. your telling me I had to put all I had into trying to get you and you gave nothing. You were my everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachhbabeyy/so-your-telling-me-i-had-to-put-all-i-had-into-trying-to-get-you-and/) Rachhbabeyy > [I was a huge 'Friends' fan. I had a very small part. I played a real-estate agent in the very last season.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-lynch/i-was-a-huge-friends-fan-i-had-a-very-small-part-i-played-a-real/) [Jane Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-lynch/) ## More by Marcos Alonso > [When you are a kid, you aren't mature and you want to get up and play every week.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcos-alonso/when-you-are-a-kid-you-aren-t-mature-and-you-want-to-get-up-and-play/) [Marcos Alonso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcos-alonso/) > [It's good to play in different ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcos-alonso/it-s-good-to-play-in-different-ways/) [Marcos Alonso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcos-alonso/) > [My father is a massive Barcelona and Atletico fan because he used to play in those teams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcos-alonso/my-father-is-a-massive-barcelona-and-atletico-fan-because-he-used-to/) [Marcos Alonso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcos-alonso/) > [Wembley is one of the top stadiums in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcos-alonso/wembley-is-one-of-the-top-stadiums-in-the-world/) [Marcos Alonso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcos-alonso/) > [People were used to see me in a 3-5-2 because in Fiorentina that was also where I played. But the hard thing was to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcos-alonso/people-were-used-to-see-me-in-a-3-5-2-because-in-fiorentina-that-was/) [Marcos Alonso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcos-alonso/) > [Wherever the team needs me to help I will try to do my best, and it's good to be able to play in more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcos-alonso/wherever-the-team-needs-me-to-help-i-will-try-to-do-my-best-and-it-s/) [Marcos Alonso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcos-alonso/) > [Every season with Chelsea, we have to fight for every competition and every game and we will go for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcos-alonso/every-season-with-chelsea-we-have-to-fight-for-every-competition-and/) [Marcos Alonso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcos-alonso/) > [Football is a sport that changes very quickly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcos-alonso/football-is-a-sport-that-changes-very-quickly/) [Marcos Alonso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcos-alonso/) > [I had some other offers from other teams from Italy and Spain but when Chelsea came to get me, I did not think twice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcos-alonso/i-had-some-other-offers-from-other-teams-from-italy-and-spain-but/) [Marcos Alonso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcos-alonso/) > [Football is like this. The better the team you play for, the more fans follow you and there are millions of coaches and managers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcos-alonso/football-is-like-this-the-better-the-team-you-play-for-the-more-fans/) [Marcos Alonso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcos-alonso/) > [It's like after uni when you go to do a master's. Italy is like that for defenders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcos-alonso/it-s-like-after-uni-when-you-go-to-do-a-master-s-italy-is-like-that/) [Marcos Alonso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcos-alonso/) > [All you can do is keep working hard, keep training and try to be ready for when the chance comes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcos-alonso/all-you-can-do-is-keep-working-hard-keep-training-and-try-to-be-ready/) [Marcos Alonso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcos-alonso/) > [To win games sometimes I need to get more in attack, and sometimes I need to defend more, but the main thing is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcos-alonso/to-win-games-sometimes-i-need-to-get-more-in-attack-and-sometimes-i/) [Marcos Alonso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcos-alonso/) > [I learnt a lot at Bolton. At Sunderland I had six months. When I arrived they were bottom of the table and we got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcos-alonso/i-learnt-a-lot-at-bolton-at-sunderland-i-had-six-months-when-i/) [Marcos Alonso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcos-alonso/) > [It's important to start games well and then we could keep control of the game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcos-alonso/it-s-important-to-start-games-well-and-then-we-could-keep-control-of/) [Marcos Alonso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcos-alonso/) [Explore all 75 Marcos Alonso quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcos-alonso/) ## More First quotes > [Life is going to hit you some line drives, and sometimes you'll have to think fast. However, it's better to think first than to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bytheway/life-is-going-to-hit-you-some-line-drives-and-sometimes-you-ll-have/) [John Bytheway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bytheway/) > [You always hear actors say, 'Theater is my first love,' and it is. It's a time when you really get to do what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-landecker/you-always-hear-actors-say-theater-is-my-first-love-and-it-is-it-s-a/) [Amy Landecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-landecker/) > [I watched the movie 'What We Do in the Shadows' in a packed theater when it first came out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nia-dacosta/i-watched-the-movie-what-we-do-in-the-shadows-in-a-packed-theater/) [Nia DaCosta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nia-dacosta/) > [My first three manuscripts were epic fantasy - like high fantasy - and then the fourth one was a historical fantasy about Mozart as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-lu/my-first-three-manuscripts-were-epic-fantasy-like-high-fantasy-and/) [Marie Lu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-lu/) > [When we first sold the Wallace and Gromit shorts to America, people suggested we get rid of the strange British accents and put clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-park/when-we-first-sold-the-wallace-and-gromit-shorts-to-america-people/) [Nick Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-park/) > [Our fashion for us, it's an expression; first of all of life, I put all of myself in my fashion. Sometimes it's good, sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefano-gabbana/our-fashion-for-us-it-s-an-expression-first-of-all-of-life-i-put-all/) [Stefano Gabbana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefano-gabbana/) > [When I first started making music, it was learning other people's songs and putting them onto four-track. Like Beatles songs and stuff. When I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-ward/when-i-first-started-making-music-it-was-learning-other-people-s/) [M. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-ward/) > [Oh, I'm a great believer in the power of the pause. Radio is a bit brasher now. My style was slower. I just used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-wogan/oh-i-m-a-great-believer-in-the-power-of-the-pause-radio-is-a-bit/) [Terry Wogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-wogan/) > [My first company, Pure Software, was exciting and innovative in the first few years and bureaucratic and painful in the last few before it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reed-hastings/my-first-company-pure-software-was-exciting-and-innovative-in-the/) [Reed Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reed-hastings/) > [I have to say, I grew up with fashion because my mother was a seamstress, and she had an atelier. She would cut the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donatella-versace/i-have-to-say-i-grew-up-with-fashion-because-my-mother-was-a/) [Donatella Versace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donatella-versace/) > [We do need different types of propulsion to get to Mars. I wrote one of the first Ph.D. theses on that in the 1960s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-do-need-different-types-of-propulsion-to-get-to-mars-i-wrote-one/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [I try to have something in common with my protagonists, especially when I'm writing in the first person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/i-try-to-have-something-in-common-with-my-protagonists-especially/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [The first draft is usually junk. You have to work on it seven to eight times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-subramanian/the-first-draft-is-usually-junk-you-have-to-work-on-it-seven-to-eight/) [Ravi Subramanian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-subramanian/) > [When I first started, all the reviews of Cold Chisel would say, 'This singer won't have a voice in six months.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-barnes/when-i-first-started-all-the-reviews-of-cold-chisel-would-say-this/) [Jimmy Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-barnes/) > [I first got into boxing when I was quite young. I was about 12 when I won my first boxing match.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-parker/i-first-got-into-boxing-when-i-was-quite-young-i-was-about-12-when-i/) [Joseph Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-parker/) Browse all 9,159 First quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Before Bolton I played for Real Madrid and I was getting involved in the first-team training since I was 16 and then I played with the first team at 18.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Marcos Alonso" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcos-alonso/before-bolton-i-played-for-real-madrid-and-i-was-getting-involved-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "First" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcos-alonso/before-bolton-i-played-for-real-madrid-and-i-was-getting-involved-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60e/marcos-alonso-9092_first_before-bolton-i-played-for-real-madrid-a_1274468.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60e/marcos-alonso-9092_first_before-bolton-i-played-for-real-madrid-a_1274468.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60e/marcos-alonso-9092_first_before-bolton-i-played-for-real-madrid-a_1274468.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Before Bolton I played for Real Madrid and I was getting involved in the first-team training since I was 16…” — Marcos Alonso", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Marcos Alonso", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcos-alonso/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Before Bolton I played for Real...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcos-alonso/before-bolton-i-played-for-real-madrid-and-i-was-getting-involved-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcos-alonso/before-bolton-i-played-for-real-madrid-and-i-was-getting-involved-in/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```