Castor Elzo

First steps

Born in the Canary Islands town of Las Palmas on 7 November 1917, Elzo began playing football in the Valencia-based clubs Canalejas FC, Gimnástico FC, and Marino FC, joining the latter in 1934, aged 17. After the Spanish Civil War, he played with Marino in the 1939–40 season, where he started playing as a left midfielder and ended up playing further back. Midway through that season, he signed for Real Zaragoza, with whom he won the Spanish Amateur Championship in 1941. He made his senior debut in a league fixture against Sevilla on 19 January 1940, aged 23, which ended in a 3–0 loss. After the Aragonese team was relegated to the Segunda División, he signed for Castellón, then in the top division, where he played 34 games and scored 11 goals in two seasons.

Valencia and Madrid

His good record caught the attention of the Valencia coaches, who decided to sign him in 1943 as a reinforcement for the midfield, and in his first (and only) season at the club, Valencia won the 1943–44 La Liga. However, Elzo played a minor role in this triumph, playing only 6 games and scoring twice, both in 3–0 victories, the first over Granada and the other against his future club Deportivo de la Coruña. He was one of the so-called calderones, the name given to the reinforcement troops that season who only played when they were required. Elzo did not adapt to the Valencian team's game, mainly due to his habit of playing with his back to the goal, and thus, at the end of…

Real Zaragoza Spanish Amateur Championship: Champions (1): 1940–41 Valencia FC La Liga: Champions (1): 1943–44