MARCOS Alonso dedicated his first goal in English football to the memory of his five-time European Cup-winning grandfather.

The young defender gave Wanderers the lead after pouncing on a David Ngog header that rebounded off the woodwork 10 minutes from full time in the 3-2 victory over Wolves.

Alonso’s goal came 25 days after Marcos Alonso Snr, nicknamed “Marquitos”, passed away, aged 78.

Alonso Snr played alongside the likes of Ferenc Puskas, Alfredo di Stefano and Gento in the legendary Real Madrid side that claimed the continent’s top prize in the first five years of its existence from 1956.

“It’s my first official goal in England,” Alonso told The Bolton News. “I’m really happy about it. My grandfather passed away recently and it was for him and the fans from Bolton who came here.

“I’m really happy with the three points because that was the most important thing today.”

Alonso’s rich footballing heritage is worn like a badge of pride by the 21-year-old, and rightly so, as his grandfather’s considerable achievements were followed by his father – Marcos Alonso Pena – who played alongside Diego Maradona in the Barcelona side of the early 1980s and represented Spain at the European Championships in 1984.

And he revealed that his grandfather’s advice had helped make him decide to leave Real two years ago to become Owen Coyle’s first cash purchase.

“He thought it was a really good chance for me to learn and Bolton gave me a good feeling,” he said. “I’m very happy to be in the best league in the world. I don’t mind staying here for rest of my career.

“When I was young, 10 years old, he always used to talk to me about his friend Bobby Charlton and how one day he would take me to Old Trafford to watch Manchester United play.”

Despite his goal, Alonso walked into a dressing down from manager Owen Coyle after the game for his part in Michael Kightly’s opener for Wolves.

The Wanderers boss has forecast a big future for the full-back, but reckons he still has improvements to make in the defensive side of his game.

“There’s no question about Marcos in terms of being comfortable on the ball, going forward and keeping it because he was in a Real Madrid team that kept 80 per cent possession in every game,” said Coyle. “The challenge we have is making him a more natural defender. I think he’s improving on that.

“It’s a learning curve for him and it has been stop-start because of injuries. But like all the young players we have in the squad, Marcos is getting better.

“At Blackburn he was the best player on the pitch and I’ve said to him, it’s up to him how far he wants to go in the game.

“I can try and guide him and pass on experience or football knowledge but when he crosses the white line it’s down to him. He’s got to deliver in a football sense and I think he’s now grasped that.”

Alonso too recognises the need to learn.

“I’m getting more and more confident,” he said. “I think I can grow from this. Every game I have played, I have played better than the one before. So I will just keep working to get to the top level.

“It’s not the same as Spain. I think I learned a lot last season and this season you can see in games like Blackburn and today, I have improved a lot.”