José María Castell

José María Castell García de la Cruz (24 September 1896 – 13 October 1981) was a Spanish footballer who played as a midfielder. Castell was one of the most important figures of Madrid FC at the beginning and middle of the 20th last century, as a player, captain, manager and even as an architect.

Club career Born in San Sebastián, he moved to Madrid when he was a child, and there he studied at the Colegio Clásico Español, where he took his first steps in football, playing as a midfielder. In 1910, when he was fourteen years old, he returned to his homeland and signed for the local club Esaso Athletic Club, where he stood out as a good player, and when he returned to the capital to continue his studies in 1911, he was incorporated into the third team of Madrid FC. The following year, Castell was promoted to the second team and when Arsenio Comamala left the club in 1912, he moved to the first team, forming a great midfield partnership with Alberto Machimbarrena and Rositzky, who were the phenomena of the time. He was a brave player on the attack, taking risks in the passes, as well as shooting from the center of the field with the intention of surprising the goalkeeper. He also helped the club win four Centro Championships in 1912–13, 1915–16, 1916–17 and 1917–18.

In January 1919 against Racing de Madrid, he played as a left defender, because of a madridista who made his debut as a right midfielder: Juan Monjardín. The last time he appeared in a Madrid line-up was at the end of April 1919, in a match against Athletic Madrid, retiring at the age of 23, to devote himself to his profession as an architect, but his link with Madrid FC remained intact. Castell participated in the 1916 and 1918 editions as a substitute, and the only reason he was a starter in 1917 edition was because the tournament coincided with the 1917 Copa del Rey Final between Madrid FC and Arenas, which prevented the Centro side from using the best Madrid FC players, which opened vacancies. Castell was thus, one of the few Madrid FC players who participated in the 1917 Prince of Asturias Cup, with the remaining members of the squad coming from Athletic Madrid and Racing de Madrid. Naturally, he was chosen as the captain of this team which the press gave little to no chances of winning the tournament, but under the leadership of Castell, who scored (penalty) in a 3–2 win over Cantabric, the Centro team managed to win the cup for the first time in the team's history despite having a weaker side than in the previous tournament.

Honours Club Madrid FC Centro Championship Winners (4): 1912–13, 1915–16, 1916–17 and 1917–18 Copa del Rey: Winners (1): 1917

International Madrid Prince of Asturias Cup: Champions (2): 1917 and 1918 Runner-up (1): 1916