• Real Madrid: Goyo Benito dies due to coronavirus at age 73 in one of the residences hit by the pandemic

A mustache, a dense, copious, impenetrable black mane that he kept in order his own thickness. A pelazo that ate his face and seemed capable of breaking the spines of the comb that dared to try to tame it. Gregorio Benito Rubio . A lion. A cyclone. A fast, tough, unforgiving, "racial" central defender. A man from a single club, Real Madrid, with whom he won six Leagues and Five Cups. A historical one. A myth. Goyo Benito ... For years devastated by Alzheimer's, with his health impaired by other pathologies, he has died in Madrid due to the coronavirus, in a residence where other deaths have also occurred.

Born in Puente del Arzobispo (Toledo) on October 21, 1946, he arrived in Madrid in August 1964, at the age of 17, from the Salesians of Atocha and El Sabio. Physically it was a hurricane and a rock. The club transferred it to Rayo Vallecano and incorporated him into the first squad in 1969 to discuss the position with Pedro de Felipe and Fernando Zunzunegui . No one is in this world anymore.

He made his debut, however, as a left winger on October 26, 69 against Real Sociedad. His bandmate was, now 36 years old and six European Cups, Gento , whom the young rookie treated with due obedience and reverential respect. "Cortita y al pie, lad". "As you say, Don Francisco."

The boy, who quickly lost the frequent shyness of the novel who arrives in Chamartín and steps on his wardrobe and lawn, did not show outstanding technical skills. He did not get the ball clean or excelled in passes and centers. But he went to the crossroads like lightning and, although of normal height, exhibited a powerful head jump. He did not know the flourish, but not the forcefulness. He got tangled up in dribbles, but not in punches. It was rude. He was brave. It was elastic. He had a sense of anticipation. He was clearly a central defender. A "stopper". This is how Miguel Muñoz saw it, who gave the letter of freedom to De Felipe and has already placed the new man in his post forever.

The Bernabéu appreciates exquisiteness for taste and tradition, but above all dedication and professional honesty. Naturally equipped with those virtues, Benito connected instantly with the fans, who enjoyed their duels with the great strikers of the time: Gárate, Diarte, Heredia, Ocampos, Rubén Cano ... Also with Cruyff , when he passed through his area . And with Sevilla player Biri Biri , who once begged him: "Please don't hit me anymore, Señor Benito."

The "Señor Benito", in fact, hit a lot. But also, in his ardor he took risks. He underwent, in addition to some rib and finger fractures, eight operations (five of the knee, one of the tibia and two of the nose). And, on April 23, 1980, in the face of arbitration benevolence, a barrage of blows by Hrubesch , the gigantic striker from Hamburg. Due to a risky excess of honesty for which he apologized to his teammates and fans, Benito played an injured knee. He was also trying to help and protect his inexperienced partner Sabido .

Hrubesch destroyed Madrid. The team conceded a 5-1 and was left out of a European Cup whose final was to be played at the Bernabéu. If that was a particularly painful match for Benito, the one played on November 7, 1979 at the Bernabéu, on the second leg of the European Cup, had a lot of previous compensation. Madrid had lost, at Das Antas, 2-1 against Porto. With a quarter of an hour to go, Benito, who had also canceled Gomes , a superb 9, connected with a header that beat a Fonseca who had stopped everything until then. Madrid passed the tie.

Despite his jumping power, Benito only scored three goals in his 420 official matches with Madrid. He used his head exclusively for defensive purposes, perhaps because he did not forcefully combine skill. He didn't usually go to the corner kicks. He was a pure defensive center back. Only he and Pirri have the Madrid Golden and Bright Laureate.

Benito was an absolute international 22 times. It did not get to play a World-wide one. According to him, he was rejected by Kubala to go to Argentina "because there were already too many Madrid players and I had to play Chinese." Married with three children, when he left football in 1982, he invested in two pubs. He was public relations for the club and worked in Rayo's technical secretary when his friend Camacho occupied the Vallecano bench.

It is another one of those names that must receive its painful minute of silence when soccer resumes and we have exterminated the virus that has taken it from us.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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