Profile: Alfonso

The magician of the White Boots

Alfonso Pérez Muñoz is one of the most important players in Real Betis Balompié history. An idol for the fans and the best representative of that great time that shone in the second half of the 90s.

He was born in Madrid on the 26th of September of 1972. Alfonso arrived to Betis in August of 1995 on loan from Real Madrid. He had already made his debut with senior Spanish national team on September of 1992, in a game against England, although he already was Olympic champion in Barcelona 92.

One year later after the loan, Betis signed him permanently after paying a bit more than one thousand million Pesetas (around 6 million Euros) and acquiring in the same operation goalkeeper Valerio and striker Iván Pérez, Alfonso's own brother.
The 96-97 season was the best campaign for Alfonso Pérez at Real Betis. He was part of the team that was Copa del Rey runner-up and he was the second top scorer in LaLiga after scoring 25 goals, only surpassed by Ronaldo Nazario.

In November of 1996, Alfonso used for the first time what later became one of his signature features: his White boots. It was a game at Villamarín against Real Sociedad. He was one of the first players ever to use boots that were not black, and the first one in Spain. A singular fact that remains in the memory of the Béticos as something formidable and mythological. Alfonso's white boots. The Joma boots. Impossible to forget.

Once that season was over, Alfonso Pérez and Real Betis reached a new milestone for the Club that had never happened before. The player had been called up to FIFA's international team, the squad made up by the world top superstars. It was the first time that happened in the football from Seville and it had not happened again in the city.

As a Betis player, his first game with the national team was on the 6th of September of 1995 against Cyprus. Since then, he wore the national shirt 31 times more, and participated in the 1998 World Cup and the 1996 and 2000 Euros.

In the summer of 2000, he was transferred to FC Barcelona for 2,500 million pesetas. He returned to Real Betis in 2002 on loan that was made permanent in 2003.

He was part of the team that won the Copa del Rey in 2005 and left the Club that year, after eight seasons as a Green and White in different spells.

In his 8 seasons at the Club, he played 235 official games (197 league; 26 Copa del Rey; 6 Cup Winners Cup, 6 UEFA Cup) and scored 80 goals.

Well remembered are his talent, his professionalism and, especially, his goals. Like that first one against Zaragoza, the one at Kaiserlautern, the dribble on Bogarde, or that impossible slalom against Malaga?

Alfonso Pérez Muñoz is the sixth top scorer in Real Betis Balompié history.