Spanish football icon retires as player with most games in La Liga and Segunda at the age of 42

Senior The Real Betis and Las Palmas srriker Ruben Castro he called time on his career, playing his last season in Malaga at the age of 42. A career of 24 years spanning 11 clubs, he holds a number of records for his longevity and goals.

Castro remains the top scorer in the history of Real Betis with 147, the player with the third most goals in the Liga and the Segunda (288) and the top scorer in the history of the Segunda, with 195 goals. He ranks second in all-time appearances in Segunda (435), and has played more games in Segunda and Primera than anyone else, totaling a remarkable 717 games.

In total, he made 778 professional appearances, scoring 316 goals and providing 56 assists. On Friday evening, he published a statement announcing his decision, as brought by Brand.

“My farewell to football. It was difficult for me to get to this moment. What can I say? It is still difficult for me to see myself away from the ball. I am not able to take the idea that this is over. Maybe that's why it took me so many months to announce to you that my time as an active footballer has come to an end. I'm doing it because I consider myself lucky that that boy who had fun at Club Artesano, the modest Las Palmas team where I started, overcame all the barriers that I am not able to imagine even today: playing almost 800 official matches as a striker and celebrating more than 300 goals as his own.

He would go on to highlight his spells at Betis and Las Palmas as highlights, while also citing Pepe Mel and Jorge Molina as two inspirational figures in his career. The trio took Betis from Segunda and into Europe.