Gregorio Benito
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gregorio Benito Rubio | ||
| Date of birth | 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.
Club career
After practicing track and field in his early teens, inclusively being national javelin throw champion at school level,[1] 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[1]), 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.
International career
Benito earned 22 caps for Spain, during roughly seven years. His debut was on 9 May 1971 in a 2–0 win in 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.[2]
Additionally, Benito represented the nation at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico, playing in all the matches for the eventual quarterfinalists.[3]
Honours
- Real Madrid
- La Liga: 1971–72, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1979–80
- Copa del Rey: 1969–70, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1979–80, 1981–82
- European Cup: Runner-up 1980–81
References
- 1 2 Biography at Real Madrid Fans (Spanish)
- ↑ Gregorio Benito – International Appearances; at RSSSF
- ↑ Gregorio Benito – FIFA competition record
External links
- Gregorio Benito profile at BDFutbol
- National team data (Spanish)
- Gregorio Benito at National-Football-Teams.com
- Real Madrid biography (Spanish)