Antonio Neyra
Antonio Sánchez de Neyra Castro (16 March 1884 – Unknown) was a Spanish footballer who played as a forward for Madrid FC, Club Español de Madrid and RCD Espanyol. He was one of the most important footballers in the amateur beginnings of Madrid FC, being one of the main architects of the team's rise to national dominance in the 1900s. He was one of the members of the first Board of Directors of Madrid FC presided by Juan Padrós in the club's official establishment on 6 March 1902.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Antonio Sánchez de Neyra Castro | ||
| Date of birth | 16 March 1884 | ||
| Place of birth | La Habana, Captaincy General of Cuba, Cuba | ||
| Place of death | Spain | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1899–1900 | Sky Football club | ||
| 1900–1903 | Madrid FC | ||
| 1903–1906 | Club Español de Madrid | ||
| 1906–1908 | Madrid FC | ||
| 1908–1910 | Club Español de Madrid | ||
| 1910–? | RCD Espanyol | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Outstanding goalscorer and a skillful dribbler, he reached the final of the Copa del Rey numerous times with three different clubs, becoming over the years one of the footballers who added the most presences in finals, but only won one. Despite being an outstanding football player, a sport to which he owes his career, he was also an outstanding athlete who also performed in other modalities such as baseball, cycling, swimming, gymnastics, and discus throwing among others, even participating in the Spanish Athletics Championships.
His brother Pedro Sánchez de Neyra Castro, was one of the founders and the first president of the Spanish Football Federation in 1909 as well as the first president of the Spanish Velocipedism Federation in 1896.