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	Florentino Pérez
Head coach	Álvaro Arbeloa
League	Primera Federación – Group 2
2022–23	Primera Federación – Group 1, 3rd of 20
Home colours Away colours

Real Madrid Castilla Club de Fútbol, also known as Real Madrid B, is a Spanish football team. It is the Real Madrid's reserve team. They play their home games at the Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium, which can hold 6,000 fans.

In Spain, reserve teams play in the same league system as their main club. However, a reserve team cannot play in the same division as its senior team. This means Real Madrid Castilla cannot be promoted to La Liga as long as Real Madrid is there. They must always play at least one level below the main team. Also, reserve teams cannot play in the Copa del Rey. Only players under 23, or under 25 with a professional contract, can move between the senior and reserve teams.

Team History

Early Years: AD Plus Ultra

AD Plus Ultra 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 started in 1930 and was named after Spain's national motto, Plus Ultra. Real Madrid helped AD Plus Ultra financially. In return, Real Madrid got first choice of their best players.

AD Plus Ultra started playing in the Segunda División in 1949. By 1952, they officially became Real Madrid's reserve team. In 1959, they reached the quarter-finals of the Copa del Generalísimo (now Copa del Rey). They lost to Granada.

Many future Real Madrid stars and Spanish international players played for AD 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, the team changed its name to Castilla Club de Fútbol.

The Golden Age: Castilla CF

Former logo of Castilla.

As Castilla CF, the team had a very successful period. In 1980, with players like Ricardo Gallego, Castilla reached the final of the 1979–80 Copa del Rey. On their way to the final, they beat four top-division teams. These included Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad.

In the final, they played against Real Madrid and lost 6–1. However, because Real Madrid also won the top league, Castilla qualified for the 1980–81 European Cup Winners' Cup. They beat West Ham United 3–1 in the first game. But they lost the return match 5–1 after extra time and were knocked out. Castilla also reached the Copa del Rey quarter-finals three more times.

In 1984, Castilla won the Segunda División, which is the second-highest league. Their coach was Amancio Amaro. This team included famous young players known as La Quinta del Buitre. These players were Emilio Butragueño, Manolo Sanchís, Martín Vázquez, Míchel, and Miguel Pardeza. Castilla could not be promoted to La Liga because Real Madrid was already there.

Becoming Real Madrid B and Castilla Again

In 1991, a new rule meant reserve teams had to use their main club's name. So, Castilla CF became Real Madrid B. In the early 1990s, former Castilla players Vicente del Bosque and Rafael Benítez started their coaching careers with the team.

In 1997, the team was moved down to the Segunda División B. But they still helped develop amazing players. These included Raúl, Guti, and Iker Casillas. All of them became key players for the main Real Madrid team.

In the 2004–05 season, coach Juan Ramón López Caro led the team back to the Segunda División. The team then brought back the El Castilla name and became Real Madrid Castilla. In 2006, their new stadium at the club's training ground was named the Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium. More talented players like Roberto Soldado and Álvaro Arbeloa came from the team around this time.

In the 2006–07 season, the team was relegated back to the Segunda División B. This was a tough season for them. However, the reserve team continued to produce other great players. These included 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 top player from the team. He was sold to Bayer Leverkusen in 2012 but returned to Real Madrid in 2013 to play for the first team.

In the 2013–14 season, three more talented players, Nacho, Álvaro Morata, and Jesé, moved up to the first team. Castilla was then relegated after losing their last match of the season.

Since 2014, Castilla has continued to develop many other quality players. These include Lucas Vázquez, Marcos Llorente, Sergio Reguilón, Achraf Hakimi, and Fran García.

In the 2020–21 season, the team finished second in their group. This allowed them to play in the promotion system for new Spanish football categories. They finished third in the promotion playoffs, securing their spot in the Primera Federación. They had a chance to move up to the Segunda División but were eliminated by Ibiza.

In the 2022–23 season, Castilla finished third in their group. They again had a chance for promotion to the Segunda División but lost in the final play-off to Eldense. In the 2023–24 season, still led by Raúl González, they finished tenth. In the 2024-25 season, Castilla finished sixth and did not make the promotion play-offs. This year, Raúl Asencio made his debut with the first team and joined them due to injuries to defenders.

As of the start of the 2025-26 season, Raúl left as Castilla's head coach. He was replaced by Álvaro Arbeloa.

Season Summary

Real Madrid Castilla has played:

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

European Competition

Castilla played in the European Cup Winners' Cup once:

Season	Round	Club	Home	Away	Aggregate
1980–81	First Round	West Ham United	3–1	1–5 (after extra time)	4–6

Team Achievements

• Segunda División
  • Winners: 1983–84
• Copa del Rey
  • Runners-up: 1979–80
• Segunda División B
  • Winners: 1990–91, 2001–02, 2004–05, 2011–12
• Tercera División
  • Winners: 1948–49, 1954–55, 1956–57, 1963–64, 1965–66, 1967–68

Current Players

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) 10 MF César Palacios 11 FW Borja Alonso

No. Position Player 13 GK Fran González 14 DF Jacobo Ramón 15 DF Kike Ribes 16 MF Antonio David 17 DF David Ruiz 19 FW Loren Zúñiga 21 MF Jeremy de León 22 DF David Jiménez 31 GK Guillermo Súnico – FW Rachad Fettal

Other players under contract

No. Position Player MF Pipi Nakai FW Álvaro Leiva

No. Position Player FW Noel López

Team Staff

Current technical staff

Coaches Through the Years

• As AD Plus Ultra
• José Quirante (1948–1951)
• Antonio Bonet (1951–1952)
• Francisco Trinchant (1952–1959)
• Miguel Muñoz (1959–1960)
• José Gil Montero (1960)
• Louis Hon (1960–1961)
• Luis Pasarín (1961–1963)
• Francisco Trinchant (1963)
• Julio Martialay (1963–1965)
• Juan Santisteban (1968–1969)
• Pablo Olmedo (1969–1970)
• Enrique Bescós (1970–1971)
• Manuel Peñalva (1971–1972)
• As Castilla CF
• Antonio Ruiz (1972–1974)
• Manuel Sanchís (1974–1977)
• Juan Santisteban (1977–1979)
• Juanjo (1979–1981)
• Juan Santisteban (1981–1982)
• Amancio Amaro (1982–1984)
• Ramón Grosso (1984)
• Juan Santisteban (1984–1987)
• Ramón Grosso (1987)
• Vicente del Bosque (1987–1990)
• As a reserve team
• Mariano García Remón (1990–1993)
• Rafael Benítez (1993–1995)
• Francisco García Hernández (1994)
• Sergio Egea (1995–1997)
• Ramón Grosso (1997)
• Toni Grande (1997)
• Francisco García Hernández (1997)
• Miguel Ángel Portugal (1997–1999)
• Francisco García Hernández (1999–2000)
• Francisco Buyo (2000–2001)
• Juan Ramón López Caro (2001–2005)
• Miguel Ángel Portugal (2005–2006)
• Míchel (2006–2007)
• Juan Carlos Mandiá (2007–2008)
• Julen Lopetegui (2008–2009)
• Alejandro Menéndez (2009–2011)
• Alberto Toril (2011–2013)
• Manolo Díaz (2013–2014)
• Zinedine Zidane (2014–2016)
• Luis Miguel Ramis (2016)
• Santiago Solari (2016–2018)
• Manolo Díaz (2018–2019)
• Raúl (2019–2025)
• Álvaro Arbeloa (2025–present)

Team Records

Top Scorers

These players scored the most goals for Real Madrid Castilla in major competitions:

Ranking Nationality Name Years Goals 1  Spain Roberto Soldado 2002–2006 70 2  Spain Paco Machín [es] 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 [es] 1974–1976, 1977–1981 32  Spain Francesc Xavier Julià [es] 1980–1985  Spain Míchel 1981–1984  Spain Jesé 2011–2013  Dominican Republic Mariano Díaz 2014–2016  Spain Cristo González 2017–2019

Most Appearances

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 [es] 1977–1982 157 4  Spain Francis Rodríguez [es] 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 [es] 1987–1992 142 8  Spain Juanfran Moreno 2009–2013 138 9  Spain Míchel 1981–1984 135 10  Spain Vicente Blanco Brazales [es] 1977–1979, 1980–1981, 1983–1984 134

Home Stadium

Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium

The Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium opened on May 9, 2006. It is located at the City of Madrid, which is Real Madrid's training facility. The first match played there was between Real Madrid and Stade de Reims. This was a rematch of the 1956 European Cup final, which Real Madrid won. Real Madrid won the opening match 6–1.

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

The main stand on the west side has 4,000 seats. The eastern stand has an additional 2,000 seats. This gives the stadium a total capacity of 6,000 seats. There are plans to increase the seating capacity to 25,000 in the future.

Famous Players

This list includes players who have played at least 100 top league games or have played for their national team.

See also

In Spanish: Real Madrid Castilla Club de Fútbol para niños

• La Fábrica (Real Madrid)
• Real Madrid C
• Real Madrid Juvenil