Eloy Alonso: The Spaniard Out to Break the Big Two

The appointment of Spaniard Eloy Alonso as coach marks the start of a new era for Pahang Rangers FC.

Before making the move into coaching, he played as a goalkeeper in the second and lower divisions in Spain, winning plenty of honours at that level.

The transition into coaching was a relatively smooth one, taking charge of regional structures in Castilla y Leon. He served as a selector and coordinator for all categories in the region, overseeing the Federation’s Centre of Excellence in Valladolid.

His first club coaching role was at FS Zamora, his former club where he stayed for two seasons in Spain’s Segunda Division.

Next he moved to France with Bastia Agglo in the country’s top Futsal division, before heading to Cyprus and AEL Limassol in the island’s elite futsal league.

Family issues saw him return to Spain where he coached Deporcyl Guardo in Segunda division B and quickly turned them into one of the league’s most competitive teams.

It was in 2022 that Alonso made the biggest move of his career, joining the Thailand national futsal team set-up as assistant coach under Cesar Nunez, one of futsal’s most respected tacticians.

Alonso’s impact was immediate. Within his first four months with Thailand, they won three trophies from three different competitions, including the six-nations tournament, secured with victory over Iran, the reigning Asian champions and World Cup bronze medallists.

That was just the start as Thailand, with Alonso on the bench won the SEA Games gold medal with a win over Vietnam in front of over 7000 spectators.

Alonso’s time in Thailand has helped to shape him as a coach and now he brings that wealth of experience to Pahang hoping that they can break the dominance of JDT and Selangor and break into the MPFL top two in 2026.