When Real Madrid released the official statement on Thursday regarding the death of their legendary defender Goyo Benito, the entire fan base was in disbelief. The Spanish central defender was a mainstay during his tenure at Santiago Bernabeu featuring 420 times for the side across 13 seasons.
Goyo Benito was always a fine representative of our club's values. He played for Real Madrid for 13 seasons. During this period and including his spell as a part of the Real Madrid academy, he lifted six league titles and five Spanish Cups. #RealMadrid pic.twitter.com/yxPksXGRlY
— Real Madrid C.F. ???? (@realmadriden) April 2, 2020
The club statement read:
“Real Madrid, its president and board of directors express their deep regret at the passing of Goyo Benito, one of the great legends of our club’s history”
The recent weeks haven’t been very kind to the Spanish outfit. Before the death of Goyo Benito, Real Madrid had lost their former Los president, Lorenzo Sanz, to coronavirus.
Athlete Since His Childhood
Born in the city of Castille-La Mancha, Goyo Benito was a great athlete in his childhood. The player had represented the javelin throw team in his early teens.
The Spaniard focussed on practicing on the football field which earned him a youth contract offered by La Liga powerhouse, Real Madrid, in 1963.
Raising through the ranks of Real Madrid, the rock-solid defender spent his initial two seasons on loan at Rayo Vallecano.
It was really a well-proctored move by the club as the player gained the experience. However, the second season on loan at Rayo Vallecano was cut short as Goyo Benito was called up for the military service.
After serving the military, he returned back to his parent club where he went on to win six league titles in 14 seasons along with five Copa del Rey trophies(Spanish Cups).
To describe the player, it takes multiple words. Goyo Benito is not those players of the game who can be described in a single word.
Few describe his as a fast, tough, racial and unforgiving defender. He is also compared to a lion and a cyclone. Having a physical structure like a hurricane, the player made his debut against Real Sociedad on October 26, 1969.
Clear Aerial Threat To The Opposition
Benito did not show outstanding technical skills. Neither did he clear the ball nor he excelled in passing on the ball to the players.
However, he was going for intersections like lightning and was a clear aerial threat to the opposition. The player was rude and sturdy but was elastic on the pitch.
The player mastered the clear sense of anticipation. He developed himself to a clear central defender.
Despite the fact that the player was an aerial threat, he has only three club goals to his name. He used both jumping power and head exclusively for defense.
Benito was an excessively honest and dedicated player apart from being a risk-taker. These were the attributes that Bernabeu demands and it didn’t take much time for the player to become a fan favorite.
Further, in 1971, Goyo Benito made his international debut for Spain against Cyprus in the European Championship qualifier.
Though the player appeared in the World Cup qualifiers of 1974, he couldn’t feature in the finals of the World Cup. It is very disheartening to see that the legend couldn’t play for his national side in the World Cup which is a dream for many.
Goyo Benito Called It Off Early
At the age of 35, Benito decided to hang up his boots. He could make only 16 appearances for the Madrid outfit in his last two seasons. After retiring in 1982, he invested his money in pubs and ran the business with his wife and children.
Recognizing the services of a player who had a dense and copious black mustache, Real Madrid bestowed Laureada, an honor for the best player for the club. He was the one among two players who had received this award other being Jose Sanchez.
It is very disheartening to lose the player of stature like Goyo Benito, who fought all the odds to become one of the football greats in Spain, to a virus.
He is one of those players who should be remembered and deserves a minute of silence when the beautiful game resumes after the pandemic leaves the world.
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