Jimmy Rice 13 March 2008
The 26-year-old's girlfriend Nagore gave birth to little Jon Alonso on Tuesday morning – though it didn't stop 'dad' catching the Reds' San Siro triumph on TV.
He told Liverpoolfc.tv: "It was a great experience. All the family is really happy and now we have to look forward. Mother and baby are both very well. The labour was quite long but it went well, so we are delighted.
"Of course I watched the game in the evening with my brother. It was great to watch. We controlled the game very well and the goal from Fernando finished it off.
"It was a little frustrating (the timing) because I was excited at the thought of playing in the San Siro in what was a big challenge for the team, but of course I had to be with my family at that moment. Hopefully I will get the chance to play in that stadium in the future."
The new arrival comes just as Alonso Sr is finding full fitness following a lengthy lay off with a metatarsal injury.
The road to recovery hasn't always been smooth, with the form of Lucas meaning opportunities have been limited, but the Spanish ace accepts competition is a fact of life at Anfield.
He said: "Of course you always want to play but also you know that, when you are playing, some of your teammates are maybe on the bench or the stands. You have to accept that it's part of your job and be professional. You have to work hard to get an opportunity and play well when you do.
"I am really happy here and relaxed. I am focused on Liverpool."
Alonso and his teammates now await Friday's Champions League draw knowing there's a good chance of being paired with another English team in the last eight.
He said: "The team is really happy. We expected to go through and now we are looking forward to the draw on Friday. We feel really comfortable in this competition, so hopefully we can carry on.
"Any team will be difficult. We have seen and we have enough experience to know that, but over two legs we can beat anyone. We are not afraid of anyone and have a lot of confidence in ourselves.
"There is a big probability of playing against another English team. We would prefer to avoid that for now and maybe face them in the semi-finals, but whoever we play we will not be scared or afraid."
With Chelsea, Man Utd, Arsenal and Liverpool all making it through to the quarter-finals, Alonso believes English sides are now becoming the dominant force on the continent.
"It says a lot about the Premier League," said the playmaker. "From Italy there is only Roma, from Spain only Barcelona – from England there are four teams. It says we're performing very well in Europe and the level here is very, very high – probably the highest in Europe and maybe the world.
"The Premier League is doing things properly: looking after their clubs, their fans and their football. These are the things all the other leagues should look at."
Alonso is one of seven Anfield stars with a Champions League winner's medal already in the cabinet – not that he's resting on his laurels.
"At the end of your career it is quite different to have two or three Champions Leagues compared to one, so of course we want another night like Istanbul.
"We know how to do it but we need to go step by step.
"We know we're not unstoppable but we are doing things very well at the moment. We know if we work hard and are committed and we play as a team, we have a good chance of winning a lot of tough games.
"The sharpness and fitness of the team is good, we're scoring a lot of goals and keeping a lot of clean sheets. Maybe we are reaching the peak of our season."
Meanwhile, many fans will be hoping Everton's UEFA Cup heartache will knock the Toffees off stride in the race for fourth. Alonso, however, isn't convinced.
The 40-times Spanish international said: "Of course they had a lot of hopes in the UEFA Cup but I don't think it will affect them.
"It's a set back but they are doing very well in the league and are showing a lot of consistency home and away. It's going to be tough to get the fourth place but of course we have the derby in two weeks and we are confident of getting a good result."
