His name is Kiko Alonso, he plays for the Miami Dolphins and has a Latin mix that links him to Deportivo Cali of Colombian soccer

Since he came to the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL), he drew attention. Today, he earns a name in the Florida team with his linebacker role in which he stands out for the tackles produced. It's not just the Latino who puts music from his region in the locker room, now it's more than that. He is Kristian 'Kiko' Alonso, of a Cuban father and a Colombian mother, of which he inherited his taste for traditional football, declaring himself a fan of Deportivo Cali.

Sun Sentinel referred to the progress of the player of Latin descent since he decided to use pads. But Alonso shows humility in this regard, pointing out "I just keep it simple, doing my job", after a game in which he got the 34 tackles, an interception and two forced fumbles, for Miami to be 3-0 in the standings.

Alonso was born in Newton, Massachusetts 27 years ago, grew up in very different cities such as Austin (Texas) and San Jose (California), played with the University of Oregon and then was selected in the second round of the 2013 college draft by the Buffalo Bills, to later move to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2015, according to Sun Sentinel.

Later in March 2016, he was traded to the Dolphins, a team that quickly made him a stellar linebacker last season in which he started 15 games and added 115 tackles in a game against the Dolphins. San Diego Chargers for the tenth date of the 2017-18 season.

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The same means of communication highlights that Alonso's energy in the line of scrimmage is the main reason why Miami ranks third in the league in a department as important as the allowed yards, only 3-3 per game.

The Latin player has also taken advantage of his opportunity in the absence of the wing Rob Gronkowski, the holder of the team whose numbers in recent years have not been the most encouraging.

Defensive coach Matt Burke trust that Alonso is prepared for different game situations. "He's impulsive, Kiko is clever as a fox, you talk to him and sometimes he seems ridiculous and distant, but he's really smart and very dedicated to preparation," he said.

"When you walk through the linebackers room at any time of the day, he's there looking at tapes, he does not talk about that, he has a silly personality, but he's a committed coach, he probably sees more movies than anyone in our defense," Burke finished in the same statement to Sun Sentinel.

His connection with Colombia

The RCN Channel He remembers that Alonso was born in the United States, and as already mentioned his parents are Latino. His father Carlos Alonso is Cuban while his mother Mónica Alonso is Colombian, and from her, he inherited the fondness for soccer, specifically by Deportivo Cali of the Colombian League of that sport.

In fact, the linebacker has already attended the Palmaseca stadium to support the sugar team as one more fan. The Colombian television channel reflected that said statements were given by Alonso at a press conference after an NFL game in which the Colombian team showed up with the green jersey.

On the same press conference, Futbolred noted that this went unnoticed by local journalists, but obviously not for the Colombian media, much less for Deportivo Cali fans. The portal also said that a few years ago, the athlete hung an image on his Instagram account in which he does not hide his pride wearing the sugar shirt. What nobody has ever been able to specify is how did this shirt come to power, which strengthens the theory that it has been in the Palmaseca stadium.

"This is the closest thing that has been to such a Hispanic influence, and it's helping." said in turn, her mother in an interview that she gave to Sun Sentinel "I think it's really important to know where you come from, my wife is Cuban and Kiko has a bit of the flavor of both, last summer she visited Colombia and it was a good thing for him, he reconnected it with his roots."

Latino personality

Another article by Sun Sentinel adds that Alonso, is one of the few players of Hispanic descent in the NFL, he is the third Latin who wears the shirt of the Dolphins in the last ten years, after the Mexican Greg Camarillo and the Panamanian Roberto Wallace.

His Latin is contagious to the club, in which his teammates have already become accustomed to listening to Caribbean rhythms such as salsa, reggaetón, vallenato, and even bachata. If it is about gastronomy, Alonso is a disciple of typical foods such as Cuban coffee, Colombian empanadas, and alcapurrias puertorriqueñas, as his Cuban father was raised on the island.

"I am very proud to represent the Latino culture in the NFL with the Dolphins," the player said, adding "there are not many Hispanic players in the NFL and being one of those few makes me feel very proud," added Sun Sentinel.

Sun Sentinel provides interesting data such as that the Latin linebacker is very fast, his height is 6'3 '' and his weight of 235 pounds. Alonso signed an agreement in March 2018 for four years and 28.9 million dollars with the Miami club, which he considers the "ideal place" to play football and fully enjoy the culture that reclaims his roots.

"This is the perfect place for me because there are a lot of Hispanics in Miami, so I can eat rice with beans and listen to the music I like every day, I can go to the beach and eat well, rice with chicken, old clothes, and tostones ", ended to the mentioned media.

LatinAmerican Post | Onofre Zambrano

Translated from "Inédito! este es el toque latino y colombiano que cautiva a la NFL"

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