Why Sydney FC must stop Perth Glory’s ‘El Maestro’ Diego Castro in his tracks to lift A-League trophy

Sydney FC better watch out on Sunday night! He may be closing in on 37 years of age but Perth Glory star Diego Castro still possesses an engine on par with players a decade his junior.

Diego Castro has been in superb form this season.

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The first time Kenny Lowe saw Diego Castro play he burst out laughing.

It was 2015 and the then Perth Glory coach, on the lookout for a classy foreigner, was sent video of the former La Liga regular.

“We looked at the footage and thought ‘we’ve got no chance’,” Lowe said.

“He’s playing against Barcelona and the next game he’s starting against Real Madrid and looks quality.”

Diego Castro has been in superb form this season.

Turned out Castro, who’d just spent four years in Spain’s top flight with Getafe, wanted a new experience for his family.

“I always remember him saying he’d only come for one year,” Lowe said.

Nearly four years later Castro is still in Perth, and may have just produced his best season six weeks out from his 37th birthday.

So good he finished three votes behind Johnny Warren Medal winner Roy Krishna even though he missed seven games through injury.

That fact, though, will be less on Sydney FC’s mind come Sunday’s A-League grand final than the man in the flesh they’ll have to stop.

Because the two times the Sky Blues beat Perth in the regular season Castro - and Matt Spiranovic - wasn’t in the starting line-up.

And the man nicknamed 'El Maestro', who scored twice in last weekend’s dramatic semi-final penalty-shootout win over Adelaide United, still possesses an engine on par players a decade his junior.

Diego Castro was on taget twice against Adelaide last weekend.

His outstanding GPS stats for metrics like metres covered and high-intensity sprints was one of the first things Lowe noticed about his new acquisition.

Former Sporting Gijon and Malaga teammate Andreu was first taken by his close friend’s raw skill.

Then, throughout the five years he played alongside him in Spain, and against him while at Western Sydney then back on the same side at Perth, he learnt more about his ambition.

“He has special skills - he’s very clever - but his mentality is unbelievable,” said Andreu, who still speaks to Castro from Spain most weeks.

“He’s a winner, he’s almost 37 and he’s trying to improve himself.

“This season Diego is very fit and he is running a lot. One of the reasons obviously is Popa, because Popa is a good coach. But Diego is a fighter, he’s a warrior.”

Lowe watches Perth play as a fan now and has observed how his role has slightly changed, but with equally exceptional results.

Diego Castro and Perth Glory have the benefit of home ground advantage.

“With us he played on the left and had freedom,” he said.

“Now it’s probably a little bit more structured, but it doesn’t matter whether he gets a free role in a lesser team or a structured role in a better team, he’s still Castro.

“And when he does go walkabout, if the game is a little bit tight he’s the one who affects it.”

Castro has always been highly influential but something has clicked this season with a team of premiership-winners around him.

Current Glory coach Tony Popovic, who’s just signed him for another two years, decided to bring him back from his annual off-season trip back to Spain a little earlier than usual so he was present for more of the pre-season.

“He was a fantastic player for the A-League before I came along,” Popovic said.

“A player of his quality, his stature. He’s played at the highest level, he knows what that looks like.

“Maybe we came at the right time for him in terms of where his mind was with football.

“There was maybe a lot of frustration in his final year (last season), and we just got him to get back to enjoying his football again and showing he is a top player.

“For a player who missed basically the first third of the season he’s done remarkably well. His passion and his winning attitude rubs off on everyone, it even rubs off on me.

“I believe he’s got stronger and stronger as the year’s gone on and I anticipate another big game from him on Sunday.”