Real Madrid Castilla facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Real Madrid Castilla

Full name	Real Madrid Castilla Club de Fútbol
Nickname(s)	Castilla RM B
Founded	16 December 1930 (as Agrupación Deportiva Plus Ultra)
Ground	Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium
Ground Capacity	6,000
President	Nicolás Martín-Sanz
Head coach	Raúl
League	Primera Federación – Group 2
2022–23	Primera Federación – Group 1, 3rd of 20
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Real Madrid Castilla Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football team. It is the reserve team for the famous Real Madrid club. A reserve team is like a junior team. It helps young players get ready for the main team. Real Madrid Castilla plays its home games at the Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium. This stadium can hold 6,000 fans.

In Spain, reserve teams play in the same league system as their main team. But there's a rule: a reserve team cannot play in the same division as its senior team. So, Real Madrid Castilla cannot be promoted to La Liga. This is because Real Madrid already plays there. Castilla must always play at least one level below the main team. Also, they cannot play in the Copa del Rey, which is a big cup competition. Only players under 23 years old, or under 25 with a special contract, can switch between the main team and the reserve team.

History of Real Madrid Castilla

Real Madrid Castilla has a long and interesting history. It started as a different team and changed its name a few times.

Early Days: AD Plus Ultra

AD Plus Ultra team in the 1949–50 season.

In 1948, a local amateur team called Agrupación Deportiva Plus Ultra became a partner club for Real Madrid. This team was first formed in 1930. Its name, "Plus Ultra," means "further beyond" and is Spain's national motto. Real Madrid gave Plus Ultra money to help them. In return, Real Madrid got the first pick of Plus Ultra's best players.

By 1949, Plus Ultra was playing in the Segunda División. In 1952, it officially became Real Madrid's reserve team. In 1959, they even reached the quarter-finals of the Copa del Generalísimo (the old name for the Copa del Rey). They lost to Granada, but it was a great achievement.

Many future stars of Real Madrid and the Spanish national team played for Plus Ultra. These included José María Zárraga and Ramón Grosso. Even the famous singer Julio Iglesias played as a goalkeeper for the club in the early 1960s. His football career ended due to an injury. In 1972, Plus Ultra stopped playing. A new team, Castilla Club de Fútbol, took its place as Real Madrid's reserve team.

The Golden Age: Castilla CF

Old logo of Castilla.

As Castilla CF, the team had a "golden age." This means they were very successful. In 1980, Castilla reached the final of the 1979–80 Copa del Rey. This was amazing because they beat four top-division teams on their way! These teams included Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad. In the final, they played against Real Madrid itself. Castilla lost 6–1.

Because Real Madrid also won the top league that year, Castilla qualified for a European competition. This was the 1980–81 European Cup Winners' Cup. They won their first game against West Ham United 3–1. But they lost the return game 5–1 after extra time and were knocked out. Castilla also reached the Copa del Rey quarter-finals three more times in the 1980s.

In 1984, with Amancio Amaro as coach, Castilla won the Segunda División. This is the second-highest league in Spain. However, they couldn't be promoted to the top league. This was because Real Madrid was already there. During this time, a famous group of young players emerged. They were known as La Quinta del Buitre (The Vulture's Cohort). This group included future legends like Emilio Butragueño and Míchel.

Name Change: Real Madrid B

In 1991, a rule change meant reserve teams could no longer have separate names. So, Castilla CF became known as Real Madrid B. In the early 1990s, two former Castilla players, Vicente del Bosque and Rafael Benítez, started their coaching careers with the team.

In 1997, the team was relegated to the Segunda División B. But even then, they kept producing amazing players. These included Raúl, Guti, and Iker Casillas. All of them became key players for the main Real Madrid team.

Return to Glory: Real Madrid Castilla

In the 2004–05 season, coach Juan Ramón López Caro led the team back to the Segunda División. The team then brought back its old name and became Real Madrid Castilla again. In 2006, the club's new training stadium was named the Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium. This stadium is part of the Ciudad Real Madrid, the club's training facilities. More quality players like Roberto Soldado and Álvaro Arbeloa came from the team around this time.

In the 2006–07 season, the team was relegated again. But they continued to develop talented players. These included Rubén de la Red, Esteban Granero, Javi García, Juan Mata, and Álvaro Negredo.

Real Madrid Castilla was promoted back to the Segunda División at the end of the 2011–12 season. They beat Cádiz in the play-offs with a big 8–1 score. That year, Dani Carvajal was a quality player who came from the team. He was sold to another club but returned to Real Madrid in 2013 to play for the first team.

In the 2013–14 season, three more great players moved up to the first team: Nacho, Álvaro Morata, and Jesé. Castilla was relegated again in the last match of the season.

Since 2014, Castilla has continued to produce many more talented players. These include Lucas Vázquez, Borja Mayoral, Marcos Llorente, Sergio Reguilón, Achraf Hakimi, and Fran García.

In recent years, the team has played in the Primera Federación. This is a new category in Spanish football. In the 2022–23 season, Castilla finished third in their group. They had a chance to be promoted to the Segunda División but lost in the play-off final. In the 2023–24 season, under coach Raúl González, they finished tenth.

Season by Season Performance

• As AD Plus Ultra

• As Castilla CF

• As a reserve team

• 33 seasons in Segunda División (second tier)
• 4 seasons in Primera Federación/Primera División RFEF (third tier)
• 22 seasons in Segunda División B (old third tier)
• 20 seasons in Tercera División (old third/fourth tier)

European Competition Record

Real Madrid Castilla has played in one European competition:

• European Cup Winners' Cup

Season	Round	Club	Home	Away	Aggregate
1980–81	1R	West Ham United	3–1	1–5 (aet)	4–6

Team Achievements

Real Madrid Castilla has won several titles throughout its history:

• Segunda División (Second Tier)
  • Winners: 1983–84
• Copa del Rey (Spanish Cup)
  • Runners-up: 1979-80 (They reached the final!)
• Segunda División B (Old Third Tier)
  • Winners: 1990–91, 2001–02, 2004–05, 2011–12
• Tercera División (Old Third/Fourth Tier)
  • Winners: 1948–49, 1954–55, 1956–57, 1963–64, 1965–66, 1967–68

Players of Real Madrid Castilla

Current Squad

Here are the players currently on the Real Madrid Castilla team:

No. Position Player 1 GK Diego Piñeiro 2 DF Lorenzo Aguado 3 DF David Cuenca 4 DF Edgar Pujol 5 DF Raúl Asencio 6 MF Chema Andrés 7 FW Gonzalo García 8 MF Manuel Ángel (captain) 9 MF Víctor Muñoz 10 MF César Palacios 11 FW Borja Alonso 13 GK Fran González

No. Position Player 14 DF Jacobo Ramón 16 MF Antonio David 17 DF David Ruiz 19 FW Loren Zúñiga 20 MF Andrés Campos 21 MF Jeremy de León 22 DF David Jiménez 23 DF Youssef Enríquez 24 DF Pablo Ramón 25 GK Mario de Luis 28 DF Kike Ribes 31 GK Guille Súnico

Players from Youth Academy

These players are from Real Madrid's younger teams and sometimes play for Castilla:

No. Position Player 26 MF Hugo De Llanos 27 MF Pol Fortuny 29 DF Mario Rivas 30 MF Carlos Rodríguez 32 FW Ángel Carvajal

No. Position Player 33 MF Cristian Perea 35 FW Jacobo Ortega 36 FW Daniel Yáñez 37 DF Víctor Valdepeñas

Players on Loan

These players are still part of Real Madrid Castilla but are playing for other teams for a while:

No. Position Player DF Mario Camero (at Tarazona until June 2025) MF Pipi Nakai (at Amorebieta until June 2025)

No. Position Player FW Álvaro Leiva (at Algeciras until June 2025) FW Noel López (at Osasuna B until June 2025)

Team Staff

Current Technical Staff

Coaches of Castilla

Many coaches have led Real Madrid Castilla over the years. Some of them later became famous coaches for top teams.

Team Records

Here are some interesting records for Real Madrid Castilla players:

Players in bold are still active with club.

Top Scorers of All Time

These players have scored the most goals for Real Madrid Castilla:

Ranking Nationality Name Years Goals 1  Spain Roberto Soldado 2002–2006 70 2  Spain Paco Machín 1979–1982 50 3  Spain Álvaro Morata 2010–2013 45 4  Spain Sergio Arribas 2020–2023 41 5  Spain Miguel Bernal 1977–1981 40  Spain Emilio Butragueño 1982–1984  Spain Joselu 2010–2012 8  Spain Luis García 2001–2003 37 9  Spain José Manuel García Castro 1974–1976, 1977–1981 32  Spain Francesc Xavier Julià 1980–1985  Spain Míchel 1981–1984  Spain Jesé 2011–2013  Dominican Republic Mariano Díaz 2014–2016  Spain Cristo González 2017–2019

Most Appearances for the Club

These players have played the most games for Real Madrid Castilla:

Ranking Nationality Name Years Apps 1  Spain Casimiro Torres 1978–1983 173 2  Spain Miguel Bernal 1977–1981 168 3  Spain José Manuel Espinosa 1977–1982 157 4  Spain Francis Rodríguez 1981–1984, 1985–1986 156  Spain Pedro Mosquera 2006–2010, 2011–2013 6  Spain Juanito Felipe 1979–1982, 1983–1984 143 7  Spain Juan Carlos López Martín 1987–1992 142 8  Spain Juanfran Moreno 2009–2013 138 9  Spain Míchel 1981–1984 135 10  Spain Vicente Blanco 1977–1979, 1980–1981, 1983–1984 134

Home Stadium

Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium

The Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium was opened on May 9, 2006. It is located at the City of Madrid, which is where Real Madrid usually trains. The very first match played there was between Real Madrid and Stade de Reims. This was a special game because it was a rematch of the European Cup final from 1956. Real Madrid won the first game at the new stadium 6–1.

The stadium is part of the Ciudad Real Madrid. This is the club's modern training area. It is located outside Madrid in Valdebebas, close to Madrid–Barajas Airport.

The main stand of the stadium has 4,000 seats. There are another 2,000 seats in the eastern stand. This gives the stadium a total of 6,000 seats. There are plans to make the stadium even bigger in the future, up to 25,000 seats.

Famous Players Who Played for Castilla

This list includes players who played at least 100 top league games or became international players. Many of these players went on to play for the main Real Madrid team or other big clubs.

See also

In Spanish: Real Madrid Castilla Club de Fútbol para niños

• La Fábrica (Real Madrid) (Real Madrid's youth academy)
• Real Madrid C (another Real Madrid youth team)
• Real Madrid Juvenil (Real Madrid's youth teams)