When former Barcelona midfielder Francisco 'Lobo' Carrasco
invited him to a game on the beach in Alicante back in 1996,
Joaquin Alonso had little idea the match would mark the start of
a career that would lead all the way to the job of Spain coach.
Having represented his country at the Men's Olympic Football
Tournament Moscow 1980 and the 1982 FIFA World Cup Spain™, the
ex-Sporting Gijon player was no stranger to the international
scene. But after calling time on his professional career, Alonso
could have been forgiven for thinking that his days in the
limelight were well and truly over, and that his only remaining
link to the game would be the kickabouts he enjoyed with his
friends on the beaches of his home town on Spain's northern
coast.  With the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Marseille 2008 just
days away, though, the 52-year-old finds himself preparing to
lead his team into the biggest competition in the discipline for
the fourth time running. "Our aim is to get through the first
phase, preferably as grou