About Zé Castro
José Eduardo Rosa Vale de Castro (born 13 January 1983), commonly known as Zé Castro, is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a central defender. He started and finished his career with Académica, but spent 11 years in Spain representing Atlético Madrid, Deportivo and Rayo Vallecano. Appearing for all the clubs in La Liga, he amassed totals of 168 matches and five goals. Castro earned 26 caps for Portugal at youth level, including 15 for the under-21 team. He made his full debut in 2009. == Club career == === Académica === Born in Coimbra, Castro entered hometown Académica de Coimbra's youth ranks as a child, and made his Primeira Liga debut on 5 October 2003, playing the full 90 minutes in a 4–1 away loss to FC Porto. Despite his young age, he eventually became an undisputed starter and team captain. === Atlético Madrid === In May 2006, after unfinished advances by Portugal's Big Three, Castro signed with Spanish club Atlético Madrid on a free transfer alongside compatriot Costinha. In his first year he benefitted from injuries to teammates, appearing in 22 La Liga matches and scoring two goals (including an 83rd-minute strike against CA Osasuna for the game's only goal, at home, on 20 January 2007). He featured rarely in the following season.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.