Rubén Castro

Las Palmas and Deportivo

Born in Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Castro was signed by Deportivo de La Coruña from local UD Las Palmas in 2004, in a deal which also saw Momo moving in the opposite direction. The deal was agreed in order to wipe out the debt that Las Palmas still had after signing Gabriel Schürrer from Deportivo for €3.6 million. Castro scored his first goals for Las Palmas in La Liga in the 2001–02 season, when he came on as a substitute in the 64th minute of a home fixture against Real Madrid, with the score at 2–2; the match ended 4–2 for the hosts, courtesy of him. In the 2003–04 campaign he was crowned Pichichi Trophy of the Segunda División for his hometown club, netting 22 times – with the team being nonetheless relegated – and being subsequently purchased by Depor. At the beginning of 2006–07, Castro was on loan at Racing de Santander, but he left Cantabria due to a lack of playing opportunities. During the January transfer window another loan happened, this time to Catalonia's Gimnàstic de Tarragona where he started very well with three goals in his first three matches, although the side would be eventually relegated and the player returned to Deportivo. After appearing scarcely during the 2007–08 season, Castro was loaned again in July 2008, to newly-promoted second division club SD Huesca. There, his goals proved crucial for the Aragonese as they retained their recently obtained status. In late August 2009, Castro was again loaned by Deportivo…

Castro earned six caps for Spain at under-21 level. On 19 November 2002, he scored two of his four goals in a 7–1 friendly rout of Bulgaria held in Guadix.

Castro's two older brothers – Rubén was the youngest of five siblings – Guillermo and Alejandro, were also footballers. At one point in their careers, they also represented Las Palmas. In 2013, his fiancée pressed charges against him for domestic violence. He was released on bail and, two years later, Betis fans offered chants of support to the footballer.

Betis

Segunda División: 2010–11, 2014–15 Individual

Pichichi Trophy (Segunda División): 2003–04, 2014–15 Segunda División Player of the Month: June 2020 Records

Betis all-time top scorer: 147 goals