Ricardo Castro (footballer)

Ricardo Castro
Personal information
Full name Ricardo Castro Valenzuela
Date of birth (1955-08-01) 1 August 1955
Place of birth Veracruz, Veracruz State, Mexico
Position Forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1975–1976 Veracruz
1976–1977 Tigres UANL
1977–1983 Zacatepec (67)
1983–1986 Atlante
1986–1987 Tampico Madero
International career
1980–1981 Mexico 18 (7)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Mexico
CONCACAF Championship
Bronze medal – third place1981 HondurasTeam
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Ricardo Castro Valenzuela (born 1 August 1955) is a retired Mexican footballer. He played as a forward for Zacatepec and Atlante throughout the late 1970s and 1980s. He also represented Mexico internationally for the 1981 CONCACAF Championship.

Club career

Castro would begin his career with his home club of Veracruz for their 1975–76 season, scoring his first goal against Cruz Azul at the Estadio Azteca. He later played for Tigres UANL for the following 1976–77 season where the club was nearly relegated from the top-flight of Mexican football, narrowly avoiding it to Zacatepec. Interestingly enough however, Castro then chose to play for Zacatepec where he was the top goalscorer for the 1977–78 Mexican Segunda División helped the club immediately regain promotion to the top-flight of Mexican football.[1][2] That year also saw him take part in a tour to play in a friendly against China, bringing his wife Virginia Garza. His most successful season with the Cañeros was during the 1980–81 Mexican Primera División where the club made the semi-finals, narrowly missing out on the finals to Cruz Azul by a single point. He played until their 1982–83 season, going over to Atlante where he played for an additional three seasons before retiring with Tampico Madero following their 1986–87 season.[3]

International career

Castro was first called up in a friendly against Guatemala as a substitute for Héctor Tapia that ended in a 2–4 victory. The majority of his international appearances consisted of friendlies across 1980 and 1981. He later played in the 1981 CONCACAF Championship where he scored in the 4–0 beating of Cuba on 1 November 1981. He also scored in the initial winning goal against Canada that ended in a 1–1 draw on 15 November. Due to a lack of points, Mexico failed to qualify for the 1982 FIFA World Cup and Castro's international career ended.[4]

International goals

NoDateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.19 April 1980Toluca 70, Toluca, Mexico Guatemala2–22–2Friendly
2.24 August 1980Cricket Ground, Sydney, Australia Australia2–12–2Friendly
3.26 August 1980Olympic Village, Melbourne, Australia Australia1–11–1Friendly
4.10 February 1981Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico South Korea2–04–0Friendly
5.1 November 1981Etadio Nacional, Tegucigalpa, Honduras Cuba1–04–01981 CONCACAF Championship
6.15 November 1981Etadio Nacional, Tegucigalpa, Honduras Canada1–01–11981 CONCACAF Championship

References

  1. ↑ Güemes Priego, Francisco (3 April 2018). "10 GRANDES DEL ZACATEPEC". No es otro blog de fútbol (in Mexican Spanish). Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  2. ↑ "1977-1978 Zacatepec Campeón de Segunda División por cuarta vez". Explora Morelos (in Mexican Spanish). 15 October 2020. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  3. ↑ "Ricardo Castro Valenzuela". Explora Morelos (in Mexican Spanish). 20 October 2020. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  4. ↑ Reyes Padilla, Macario. "Mexico - International Results Details 1980-1989". RSSSF. Retrieved 11 May 2026.
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