Gregorio Benito

Goyo Benito
Personal information
Full name Gregorio Benito Rubio
Date of birth (1946-10-31) 31 October 1946
Place of birth Puente del Arzobispo, Spain
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Playing position Centre back
Youth career
Salesianos Atocha
1963–1966 Real Madrid
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1966–1982 Real Madrid 317 (2)
1966–1968 → Rayo Vallecano (loan) 43 (0)
Total 360 (2)
National team
1969–1970 Spain U23 2 (0)
1966–1970 Spain amateur 13 (0)
1971–1978 Spain 22 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Gregorio "Goyo" Benito Rubio (born 31 October 1946 in El Puente del Arzobispo, Toledo, Castile-La Mancha) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a central defender.

He spent most of his 16-year professional career with Real Madrid.[1]

Club career

After practicing track and field in his early teens, inclusively being national javelin throw champion at school level,[2] Benito signed for La Liga powerhouse Real Madrid in the 1963 summer, aged nearly 17. After two years on loan to neighbouring Rayo Vallecano, in Segunda División (his second being cut short as he was called for military service in Sidi Ifni[2]), he returned to his main club, remaining there for the following 14 seasons and winning six leagues and five Spanish Cups.

In 1982, after just 16 league appearances in his last two seasons combined, Benito retired from football at the age of 35. He amassed Real Madrid official totals of 420 games and three goals; for his services to the club, he was only one of two players to have the Laureada being bestowed upon him by president Santiago Bernabéu – the other being Pirri.[3]

International career

Benito earned 22 caps for Spain, during roughly seven years. His debut was on 9 May 1971 in a 2–0 away win against Cyprus for the UEFA Euro 1972 qualifiers, but he would never take part in any major international tournament, as the national team failed to qualify for any during that timeframe.[4]

Additionally, Benito represented the nation at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico, playing in all the matches for the eventual quarter-finalists.[5]

Honours

Real Madrid

References

  1. ↑ "Carles Rexach y Goyo Benito recuerdan los partidos de máxima rivalidad que vivieron, 42 entre ambos" [Carles Rexach and Goyo Benito remember top rivalry matches they experienced, 42 combined]. La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 28 November 2009. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
  2. 1 2 Biography at Real Madrid Fans (in Spanish)
  3. ↑ "Benito y Pirri son los únicos que tienen tan alta condecoración" [Benito and Pirri are the only ones so highly decorated]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 20 September 2007. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  4. ↑ Gregorio Benito – International Appearances; at RSSSF
  5. ↑ Gregorio Benito – FIFA competition record (archive)
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