Ruben Castro He is one of those faithful followers of Córdoba CF who, in addition, has been one of the fundamental people for the exhibition “Welcome to the history of Córdoba CF” come to fruition. Although he currently resides in Las Palmas for work reasons, Castro has taken a few days of vacation so that the exhibition becomes a reality and is enjoyed by both Cordoba fans and collecting lovers.
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“A great thing has happened between the three of them”
“One of the dreams of every collector is to exhibit his collection, share it and have people enjoy it,” says Rubén Castro, so it is clear that “this Córdoba CF exhibition is it” and he began contacts with Sergio Lunar and Paco Cobos (@cordobacollect and @MBlanquiverde on X, formerly Twitter), who also contribute a large part of their respective collections to the exhibition. “Between the three of us, a great exhibition has come out here, a marvel” that “they are going to enjoy for sure.” After contacting the club, Córdoba CF contacted Imdeco, which gave up the space.
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Rubén Castro talks about the exhibition of Córdoba CF shirtsAJ Gonzalez
Rubén Castro started collecting t-shirts “about 18 years ago, when I became a member of Córdoba CF”, date on which he bought his first t-shirt, “but I was not yet very serious about collecting. I have always had the habit of taking a shirt from the city where I went, the souvenir that I took with me has always been the shirt of the team there,” recalls Castro, who admits that he owned “some 300 or so.” Now that was changing and I started thinking that what mattered to me was the white and green,” he says with a smile. So, from that moment on, he was “specializing,” as he says, in Córdoba CF. Of those more than 250 t-shirts that he owns “Not all of them are unique, there are some better, some worse, but there are about 260 counting everything, including training, coaching staff, everything.”. Logically, as Castro himself says, there are elastic bands with more or less value, both historical, sentimental or economic. “The most historical, the oldest is that of Daniel Onega. That is the one that was most complicated economically, sentimentally it is very important, because he was one of the players, according to what they say, I was not lucky enough to see him, most important in terms of play and quality. And also because of antiquity.”
Rubén Castro and Paco Cobos, along with Monterrubio, Marían Aguilar, Perico Campos, Sebastián del Rey and Pepe Cabezuelo.
Historical, sentimental and economic value
In addition to the historical and sentimental value, there is the monetary value, since collecting has already become a business for some. Castro recognizes that this is the case and that this entire world has been transformed. “A lot of money, a lot of money. Apart from the effort, we are talking about… We are talking about a big economic effort for certain t-shirts and now this is becoming a business too”, Castro laments to a certain extent, explaining that “unfortunately, For those of us who do not see it as a business, if now a previously historic shirt could cost you 200 or 300 euros, now it has gone up and is very and dangerously close to four figures. It’s crazy“, acknowledges the collector, who points out that he has “never” spent that money on a t-shirt.
One of the panels of Córdoba CF shirts in the exhibition.
Furthermore, Córdoba CF is not a club that moves amounts in the world of collecting like players from the big ships of international football do. “You see the prices that are paid for a Vinicius t-shirt, something like that that is so crazy, truly crazy.”, reveals Castro with a smile. In fact, the Córdoba collector himself admits that he has been offered amounts for some of his most precious garments. “Not outrageous enough to make you think about it, but to say a resounding no, but they are figures that are frightening. And the same thing must have happened to Paco and Sergio, for sure,” he comments.
Onega’s jersey, auctioned in Miami
It also gives the world of collecting space to strange or curious situations. “For example, Onega’s jersey came from a Miami auction. You say ‘what’s a Daniel Onega, Córdoba CF, shirt doing at an auction in Miami?’. First of all, I asked the Onega family. They are in love with Córdoba and Córdoba CF, they are amazing. And I asked him first of all, Daniel, is this for real? I mean, can this be yours? And he told me, go get her. Go get her, she’s mine, that’s mine. Then I jumped in head first. I did spend money there, but hey, I think it’s worth it in the end.“, comments the Córdoba CF fan, with pride.
The shirts of José Antonio Reyes, Prieto and Pelayo Novo, in the exhibition.
Córdoba CF shirts arriving again in the city and coming expressly from places as picturesque as Hong Kong or Melbourne. “There they are, especially older t-shirts. I don’t know how or why, but they appear from there, and people look for you on social networks and say, look, I have this. And when you go to the location you put Hong Kong“, says Rubén Castro, laughing.
The fear of possible counterfeiting is less in historical jerseys. “The shirts from before were practically not copied. And they are t-shirts that if the players didn’t have them, they wouldn’t even go on sale. So it is very easy to see the originality of a t-shirt. Now, the new ones or from a time like this a little more than five years ago, since the replicas are getting bigger and bigger. But they have rarely replicated anything from a team like Córdoba CF,” explains the Córdoba collector.
It never ceases to attract attention and is a demonstration of the difficulty of the world of collecting that someone like Rubén Castro, with more than 250 white and green t-shirts to his credit, does not have one that is more than representative, an outfit that is more than iconic: that of the rise of Cartagena in 1999. “Paco Cobos left the one from Cartagena in the exhibition, the one about the rise in Cartagena. I have the thorn of not having it. That is what I have dreamed of for a long time. So if Paco gets lost, I’ll take her,” he responds, laughing. about one of the clothes that is missing to complete his collection.
A collection that, in addition to the t-shirts Rubén Castro, Paco Cobos and Sergio Lunar It will also have “several photo frames of what could be recovered from the Litri museum, which was practically evicted from there. And trophies. There will be four trophies. Let’s say the most representative ones, those of the Second Federation, the Federation Cup trophy, the League, the League Championship, a Ciudad de los Califas and one of those from Montilla.
“Welcome to the history of Córdoba CF” is a modest, but deeply felt step towards the Córdoba CF museum that should arrive in the not too distant future. As a test it will be worth it to its visitors and it has become a reality, among others, thanks to the contributions of three people from Córdoba who not only spend their time on their passions: collecting and Córdoba CF.
