Pedro Alcañiz Ruiz, revered CD Castellón captain, dies aged 89 | OneFootball

Pedro Alcañiz Ruiz, a storied captain of CD Castellón and one of the club’s finest defenders, has died aged 89. El Periódico Mediterráneo reports that he made more than 200 appearances and helped secure promotion to Segunda División.

Born in Madrid in October 1936, he debuted as a teenager for Leganés before spells at Alcázar de San Juan and Constancia de Inca. He joined Castellón in the summer of 1961 and put down roots.

In Castellón de la Plana he met his future wife and started a family. On the pitch he was a brave, tenacious and decisive defender, a captain and leader. He did not miss a match for five straight seasons, marshalling a back line with Quinocho and Aznar while chasing promotion.

The side dominated Tercera, winning the title three seasons in a row, yet everything hinged on fraught play-offs. In 1966 he was among those who withstood a notorious ordeal in Elda to finally clinch promotion to Segunda.

A year later Castellón finished third in Segunda, narrowly missing out on the top flight. Into his thirties, Alcañiz saw his minutes reduced as the division was reorganised. Back in Tercera he suffered a serious injury in the third match and missed almost the entire campaign, which still ended with another promotion.

Alcañiz later joined Villarreal CF and earned another promotion to Segunda in 1971, the first in the club’s history. After retiring he ran businesses in Castellón de la Plana and was widely respected. He began a cherished albinegro lineage, with his son Pedro Alcañiz Martínez, Pedrito, and grandson Ximo Ballesteros Alcañiz also playing for Castellón.

Source: El Periódico Mediterráneo