Gonzalo Castro – Werkself from the bottom up

He joined the U13s and played for Bayer 04 youth teams for five years. In the first team at 17, he went on to appear for the Werkself in the Bundesliga for ten years: Gonzalo Castro has a long history at Leverkusen. And everything began for the now 33-year-old at the Bayer 04 Performance Centre – or rather with a journey there in vain.

In an interview with bayer04.de, the midfield stalwart, who has now made over 400 Bundesliga appearances for Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund and VfB Stuttgart, recalls his start at the Performance Centre at Kurtekotten, special moments and people.

Gonzo, when did you last think of Leverkusen?
Castro: Not long ago. Leverkusen has always been part of my life. My wife comes from there, my parents and in-laws live there, my brothers and sisters too. And when I retire I'll move back to Leverkusen. In that respect, the city and Bayer 04 are and will always be important to me.

What is your first memory of Bayer 04?
Castro: The first contact came when I was playing in the U11s. But my mother thought that was too soon because of school. I wasn't a model pupil. But Bayer 04 kept on asking and two years later, in 1999, my father said yes without the agreement of my mother. (He laughs)

How did that affect domestic bliss?
Castro: It was a shock for my mother at the start. School was front and centre for her and I can fully understand that looking back. But she was quickly persuaded when she saw the commitment from Bayer 04 was also there in relation to schooling.

How did your life change after that?
Castro: The days were really jam-packed. I used to be picked up after school. I did homework or extra lessons with Frank Ditgens at the Performance Centre. Then came training and I only went home again in the evening.

What was your start at Leverkusen like?
Castro: The first training session was an adventure. The driver dropped me off at the Performance Centre. Everything was brand-new, I didn't know my way round and I didn't know anybody. There were teams training but mine wasn't one of them. At some point, I plucked up the courage to ask. Back then, the U13s trained at the Kurt Rieß ground. They took me there quickly. Of course, I was much too late and totally wound up.

But it worked out on the pitch.
Castro: Definitely. The coaches and teammates made it very easy for me. The first tournament in Rotterdam showed me I was in exactly the right place at Leverkusen. The atmosphere, the illustrious names like Ajax and Feyenoord. That was very, very cool.

Were there moments where you didn't feel like training?
Castro: Definitely not. I look forward to every session. I was happy that school was dealt with and I could finally get back on the pitch.

Then the weekends without school and with tournaments were definitely the best of times for you...
Castro: Definitely. It was a highlight for the whole family. My parents were always there and together with the other players families there was a special feeling for everybody.

What were the coaches like with your youth teams?
Castro: They weren't actually that much different from each other and, looking back, I found that great at Bayer 04. Whether it was Jörg Bittner with the U13s, Dirk Diekmann a year later and then Norbert Meier, Daniel Zillken and Thomas Hörster. There was a clear philosophy to the training, the coaches were always clear in their work and how they talked to you. That meant you could focus on the main things as a child or teenager and always had the opportunity to do your best.

When did the game become serious for you?
Castro: That happened very early and very quickly with me. A lot became more clear in the first year with the U17s. I was quickly moved up to the U19s under Thomas Hörster. They wanted to see whether I already had the level and tempo. That worked out. And I was already with the first team after just six months. In the thick of it at the age of 17. It all happened in one fell swoop.

And you were still 17 when you made your Bundesliga debut...
Castro:  Back then, such a young player was very unusual. I still remember what happened that day. It was a cold winter's day in January 2005 at Hannover. I was on the subs bench at the start. It was 3-0 to us. I didn't think anything would happen and suddenly Klaus Augenthaler said: Get ready. I was given the last 20 minutes. The rest was as if in a trance. It's difficult to put into words but I can always remember the feeling.

Away from the pitch, who particularly helped shape your development at Bayer 04?
Castro:  I spent two years with the host family Scholz at the age of 16. That had a great effect on me and it was one of those things that once again demonstrated the strengths of the training concept at Bayer 04. I was really looked after well there. That gave me an awful lot on and off the pitch when I was growing up. We are still very much in contact today. I had great fun with the groundsman Andi Rothe and had my first driving experience with the carts. Reschke, Klossek, Rettig. There are so many names and moments that will last forever.

It sounds like growing up in a large family.
Castro:  And that's how it was. I spent more time with these people over the years than I did with my own family. They all played their part in making me what I am today.

To finish with, a couple of quick cues for you: The first time at the BayArena?
Castro: I think that was with the U13s. Real Madrid were training at the BayArena before a Champions League match. Luis Figo, David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane. There are some big names there. Being so close did not diminish the desire to become a professional footballer.

The toughest coach?
Castro: That has to be the U15s. The assistant coach to Dirk Diekmann, Thomas Hölzgen. If you could get through that then you could get through anything.

Your best goal as a youth player?
Castro: I didn't score that many. So perhaps it's more about one game: I scored three goals in an emphatic victory in a home game with the U17s against VfL Bochum. I never managed to do that again in a match. (He laughs)

Your biggest howler with the youth teams?
Castro: Oh, I’ll have to think about that. I can't think of anything to do with football but rather what we used to do off the pitch. But there was nothing bad about it. That was always quickly put right.

Finally: Will we see you in a Bayer 04 shirt again?
Castro: Dirk Dreher (General manager of the Bayer 04 Veterans, ed.) has already sent me one for the veterans team. But I'm not there yet as my career should carry on for a couple of years. When it's over and I've gained some space from professional football then it could definitely happen.

former comtemporaries on Castro

A number of the contemporaries of Gonzalo Castro from his time under the Bayer Cross share their views on the former youth player – and provide some exciting insights.

Jörg Bittner (Castro's first coach with the Leverkusen U13s):
"Gonzo was and is a quiet and thoughtful type. But he never gave any quarter on the pitch from being young. Gonzo always got really annoyed when the practice match at the end of training was over. A dream player for every coach who stood out with his unrestricted desire to learn, great resilience and pure joy in playing the game."

Reiner Rettig (Director of the bistro at Kurtekotten since 2000):
"Gonzo regularly used to eat in my bistro and he always said: 'We're going to Rettig for lunch.' That's the first sentence that comes to mind with him and it always used to make me and others smile."

Andreas Rothe (Groundsman at Kurtekotten):
"Gonzo was the only one who always came to me on a Friday and helped empty all the bins at Kurtekotten. In return he was allowed to take one of the golf carts and drive around the site. That was ideal. But we also had water battles and lots of other funny things. I had a great time with Gonzo!"

Carsten Baumann (Former vocational college colleague of Castro):
"Gonzo was a trainee in his third year as a sports and fitness executive in September 2005. At that time, I was in my first year of my retraining and was also assistant coach with the U14s. We definitely used to meet in the breaks on college days and Gonzo was always enthusiastic about football with a ball at his feet and he always wanted to train hard. He used to ask me whether we could practice keepie-uppies during the breaks."

Wolfgang Scholz (Castro's host father):
"Whenever we eat pizza at home, I always think of Gonzo. When we ate pizza together for the first time, he asked me: 'Have you got a pair of scissors, Wolle?' Then he showed me how to cut up pizza with a pair of scissors. (He laughs) We still got on very well together today. Gonzo was and is down-to-earth, he has a great character and he behaved himself impeccably here at home."

Frank Ditgens (Former academic assistant for Castro):
"Gonzo completed his placement here with us at the training centre. And when he was a first-team player he completed his training with us. He was the pioneer of our dual career approach. And after all these years there is still a picture of him here from his time with us. That shows how great the connection is to him."