Goyo Benito

As a youngster, Goyo Benito was a keen track and field athlete, and during his time at Madrid’s Colegio Selesianos he became the Spanish school’s javelin champion. It was as a footballer, however, that Bento would make his mark as a hard-tackling defender with Real Madrid. He was such a tough defender that he suffered many injuries throughout his career, and underwent five knee and two nose operations. He also had a tibia operation, and was treated for several rib and finger fractures

Benito joined Real Madrid at the age of 17 in August 1964 and moved up to the senior squad in 1966. He was then sent on loan to Rayo Vallecano for two seasons, however, before making his Madrid first-team début on 26 October 1969, against Real Sociedad. Between then and his retirement in 1982 he played 420 games and scored three goals. In those 13 seasons Benito won six Spanish League titles (1972, 1975-76, 1978-80) and the Spanish Cup five times (1970, 1974-75, 1980, 1982). Unfortunately he never won a European title because Madrid’s European glory days were behind them during his time in the first team.

Benito won 22 Spanish caps between 1971-78, but never played in a major international tournament, because Spain failed to qualify for the World Cup in 1974 and the European Championships of 1972 and 1976. He was originally penciled in to make the journey to Argentina for the 1978 World Cup Finals but coach Ladislao Kubala left him out because he felt there were too many Real Madrid players in the squad. Benito’s international career therefore ended on 29 March 1978 in a 3-0 win over Denmark at Gijón.

Before retiring, Benito bought two Madrid pubs that were meeting places for footballers past and present. After retirement from playing, he did some public relations work for Madrid and also worked with his friend Antonio Camacho at Vallecano.

Goyo Benito died at the Ballesol nursing home in the Mirasierra district of Madrid where he was living after suffering from Alzheimer’s in the latter part of his life. Sadly he died as a result of contracting the coronavirus COVID-19, which also killed many of his fellow residents at the home.