Antoni Alcázar i Alonso

Antonio Alcázar Alonso (2 May 1902 – 6 December 1966) was a Spanish footballer who played as a left winger. He was the first footballer born in Murcia to have played for the Spain national team, to have played in a Copa del Rey final, and also the first Murcian to score a goal in La Liga.

Early life Born in Murcia, Alcázar was barely a year old when his parents moved to Barcelona.

Club career Early career When he was barely over ten years old, Alcázar joined a modest neighborhood team called Neptuno de Gràcia, where he played as a goalkeeper. Together with Mauricio, Pellicer and Cros, he formed the great attacking front of the CE Europa side that won the Catalan Championship in 1923 and then reached the 1923 Copa del Rey final, where they were beaten by Athletic Bilbao 0–1, courtesy of a goal from Travieso. According to the chronicles, Europa had more chances than its rival, but had no luck in front of goal, with the big star of the game being Athlétic's goalkeeper Manuel Vidal, who several years later would sign for Alcázar's hometown club Real Murcia. with Alcázar scoring once in the second leg to help his side to a 4–1 win in an eventual playoff elimination in Zaragoza.

Later career Alcázar was part of the CE Europa side that participated in the first-ever edition of the Spanish League in 1929, scoring three goals in the six games he played that season, with an injury being the cause behind his low playing time. including 7 goals in 25 matches in La Liga. which made him the first footballer born in Murcia to reach the national team as well as the first footballer from CE Europa.

In the summer of 1925, the then coach of Spain Fernando Gutiérrez Alzaga was relieved of his position and replaced by a triumvirate formed by Ricardo Cabot, José María Mateos, and Manuel de Castro, who decided not to summon Alcázar. He never again played for Spain despite the fact that in the two matches he had played, he had put in good performances and Spain had won. The Catalan journalist Juan Fontanet wrote an article about his surprise at this decision: "Why is Alcázar being dispensed? Why is it that we do not have or do not want to have the excellent player who gave such an incontestable demonstration of his worth in the matches against Switzerland in Bern and against Italy in Valencia? Alcázar did not fail, on the contrary, he showed the qualities of a highly dangerous player, especially with the modification of the offside rule, which allows him for his sprint, perhaps unsurpassed today, and for the power of his shoot, undoubtedly the most powerful of those who play on the outside left, go inside and score points that others can't even try".

Death Alcázar died at home in Barcelona on 6 December 1966, at the age of, from a slow and painful bone cancer that "first took his patience, then his good humor and finally his life".

Honours CE Europa

Catalan football championship: Champions (1): 1922–23

Copa del Rey: Runner-up (1): 1923