José María Castell García de la Cruz (24 September 1896 – 13 October 1981) was a Spanish footballer who played as a midfielder.

Born in San Sebastián, he moved to Madrid when he was a child, and there he studied at the Colegio Clásico Español, where he took his first steps in football, playing as a midfielder.

No one disputed this decision in a time where the captain had the duty of dictating the tactics to be followed (since the coach as we know him today did not exist back then) and who had to make up the line-ups and game plans, basically serving as a captain-coach.

He was a member of the Madrid team that won the 1917 Copa del Rey, which also included the likes of René Petit, Santiago Bernabéu, Teus, Sansinenea and the Aranguren brothers (Soto and Eulogio).

[citation needed] Other facets that he carried out in the club were those of manager in the 1940s, where he accompanied the team on most of its trips around Europe; member of the Comité de Competición in the 1950s.