 Castillo in 2012 | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nery Alberto Castillo Confalonieri | |||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1984-06-13)13 June 1984 (age 41) | |||||||||||||
| Place of birth | San Luis Potosí, Mexico | |||||||||||||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | |||||||||||||
| Position | Forward | |||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||
| 1999–2000 | Danubio | |||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||
| 2000–2007 | Olympiacos | 105 | (30) | |||||||||||
| 2007–2011 | Shakhtar Donetsk | 12 | (1) | |||||||||||
| 2008–2009 | →Manchester City (loan) | 7 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | →Dnipro (loan) | 3 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2010 | →Chicago Fire (loan) | 8 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2011 | →Aris (loan) | 10 | (2) | |||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | Aris | 20 | (6) | |||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | Pachuca | 13 | (1) | |||||||||||
| 2013 | →León (loan) | 7 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | Rayo Vallecano | 11 | (2) | |||||||||||
| Total | 196 | (42) | ||||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||
| 2007–2009 | Mexico | 21 | (6) | |||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 6 January 2014 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 9 September 2009 | ||||||||||||||
Nery Alberto Castillo Confalonieri (born 13 June 1984) is a Mexican former professionalfootballer who played as aforward.
Nery Castillo was born inSan Luis Potosí,Mexico, where his father, aUruguayan professional footballer, had played for the local team ofSan Luis. He is also ofItalian descent.[1]
The family moved to South America while Castillo was still a small child. He started playing for Uruguayan sideDanubio's youth team. While playing in a Brazilian tournament, Castillo was spotted by scouts from European clubs. He went on to trials withManchester United,[2] but failed to obtain awork permit and the transfer did not materialise.[3][4]
At the age of 16, Castillo's father and agent accepted an offer from the Greek clubOlympiacos. Three years after he joined Olympiacos, Castillo became a regular starter in both domestic and European competitions. He became a fan favourite with theGate 7Ultras and was even given the number 7 shirt in deference to them.[5] Castillo was part of the Olympiacos squad that won the next three consecutive league titles. He was the club's leading scorer during the preparatory phase for the 2006–07 season, accumulating seven goals in friendly games. He finished the season second toRivaldo in goals scored and assists for the club, with three goals scored in fiveChampions League games.
In early 2006, his father and agent began negotiations with Mexican clubGuadalajara, but talks were suspended because Olympiacos weren't interested in selling the player at the time.
Subsequently, in 2007, Olympiacos accepted Ukrainian clubShakhtar Donetsk's offer of €20 million for Castillo's services. Castillo therefore, did not want to leave the club as he was satisfied. He did this, after big pressure from president's sonPetros Kokkalis due to the large offer.[6] Before this, in what Castillo correctly anticipated would be his last game for Olympiacos, he scored with a free kick shot, after "stealing" the kick from the teammate who was preparing to take it.
On 31 July 2007, Castillo joined Ukrainian sideShakhtar Donetsk on a five-year contract for a fee of €20 million.[7] This became the most expensive transfer for aUkrainian club to date.[8]
Castillo scored his first goal for Shakhtar while playing againstSV Salzburg in theChampions League. He had only played in a few games for Shakhtar when, in a league match versusFC Naftovyk-Ukrnafta Okhtyrka, Shakhtar won a penalty kick. Castillo refused to give the ball to designated penalty kick-takerCristiano Lucarelli and took the penalty himself, which was saved by the goalkeeper.[9] Castillo was immediately substituted from the game. CoachMircea Lucescu commented "What Castillo did, from a professional point of view, I've never seen anything like it before in my whole life. There will be some measures taken against Castillo".[10]
On 18 December 2007, it was announced that Castillo had signed a one-year loan agreement withManchester City,[11] commencing on 1 January 2008. Reportedly Castillo was keen to make the move happen and, in a highly unusual move, paid half of the loan fee himself.[2]Sven-Göran Eriksson commented "He was desperate to come to us, desperate to come to England, desperate to come to the Premier League", and said he had never seen a player pay for half the transfer deal himself before.[2]
Castillo played his first game for Manchester City on 5 January 2008 in the third round of theFA Cup, away toWest Ham United. However, in the replay on 16 January 2008, his first home appearance for the club, he was stretchered off after 32 minutes with a broken shoulder.[12]
He ended the season with nine appearances, seven of them coming in thePremier League. Failing to secure a place at Manchester City, Castillo returned to Shakhtar Donetsk at the end of his loan in January 2009.[citation needed]
After Shakhtar Donetsk had failed to even include Castillo on the bench for the first two matches of the 2009/2010 season he was loaned to Ukrainian league rivalsDnipro Dnipropetrovsk for a year on 30 July 2009.
On 17 July 2010, theChicago Fire announced the signing of Castillo as their newestDesignated Player. He arrived on loan with Chicago holding the option to make the transfer from Shakhtar Donetsk permanent. In being signed as a designated player, he became the second youngest designated player inMajor League Soccer history.[13]
Castillo joined Aris on a six-month loan on 19 January 2011.[14] He played his first game for Aris on 30 January 2011, against local rivalsPAOK.
Castillo terminated his contract with Shakhtar Donetsk and signed a two-year contract with Aris on 1 July 2011.[15]
He scored his first league goal for Aris of the 2011/12 season on 8 January 2012 in a 1–0 win overPAS Giannina. He scored his first brace in a 3–1 victory overDoxa Drama on 22 January. He scored his second consecutive brace seven days later in a 2–1 win overLevadiakos. Castillo scored again on 5 February in a 2–0 win overXanthi, bringing his goal tally to six.
On 14 June 2012, Castillo joinedLiga MX clubPachuca on a three-year contract.
On 10 December 2012, Castillo was loaned toClub León for six months, for whom he made seven appearances in total.
On 9 July 2013, Castillo joined Spanish clubRayo Vallecano on a free transfer.[16]
Castillo was eligible for citizenship in four countries;Uruguay because his father is from there;Italy due to his maternal grandparents;Greece because he resided there for more than six years andMexico where he was born.[17]
His first experience of international football came when he was called up to a Uruguay U-17 training camp. However, he was released after playing a few friendly games.[17] Next the Greek coachOtto Rehhagel tried to secure his services for theGreece national football team.[18] Greece were reportedly willing to pay Castillo $800,000, including fast-tracked citizenship as part of the offer.[17]
Ultimately, Castillo decided to play for the country of his birth and joined theMexico national football team.
He made his international debut for Mexico on 2 June 2007 vsIran, in his hometownSan Luis Potosí with Mexico winning the game 4–0,[19] and went on to represent his country in the2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup, where he scored his first international goal againstCuba, and in the2007 Copa America.
In the2007 Copa America, a pre-tournament injury toJared Borgetti gave Castillo a starting berth,[20] and he scored l in Mexico's first match of the tournament, a 2–0 win againstBrazil.[21]
He scored again againstEcuador, as Mexico secured a place in the knockout stages,[21] and scored a brace in the quarter-final againstParaguay, the first goal from the penalty spot.[22] Overall, Castillo was the third highest goal scorer of the tournament with four goals, behindJuan Román Riquelme andRobinho.[23]
During a press conference on 25 March 2009 that was held after a training session for the national team ahead of a match against Costa Rica, Nery Castillo clashed with Mexican reporters, who were questioning his fitness and discipline following his late arrival at the camp. After a heating exchange, he finally responds and ended the exchange by saying: “La diferencia es que yo estoy en Europa y tú estás en México, y siempre te vas a quedar en México.” (“The difference is that I am in Europe and you are in Mexico, and you will always remain in Mexico.”)[24] The comment was widely interpreted by parts of the media as arrogant andMalinchista, and, in the same interview, reporters respond calling him "malinchista".
Since, the incident in 2005, video recordings of the press-conference circulated widely among fans and on social media. According to fan reactions observed in public forums and highlight clips, many Mexican supporters used the incident to highlight what they saw as the absurdity of theMexico national football team, and theMexican Football Federation.[25]
Following his retirement from football, he dedicated himself to selling fishing equipment and gear inAthens, Greece. He also has a branch in fournoi island near Ikaria.[26]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Olympiacos | 2000–01 | Alpha Ethniki | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | 4 | 1 | |
| 2001–02 | Alpha Ethniki | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | — | 8 | 1 | ||
| 2002–03 | Alpha Ethniki | 9 | 3 | 7 | 1 | — | 16 | 4 | ||
| 2003–04 | Alpha Ethniki | 26 | 7 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 39 | 11 | |
| 2004–05 | Alpha Ethniki | 26 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 35 | 7 | |
| 2005–06 | Alpha Ethniki | 17 | 2 | 5 | 2 | — | 22 | 4 | ||
| 2006–07 | Super League Greece | 25 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 35 | 15 | |
| Shakhtar Donetsk | 2007–08 | Vyshcha Liha | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 14 | 1 |
| Manchester City | 2007–08 | Premier League | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 9 | 0 | |
| Shakhtar | 2008–09 | Ukrainian Premier League | 4 | 1 | — | — | 4 | 1 | ||
| Dnipro | 2008–09 | Ukrainian Premier League | 3 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | ||
| Chicago Fire | 2010 | Major League Soccer | 8 | 0 | — | — | 8 | 0 | ||
| Aris | 2010–11 | Super League Greece | 10 | 2 | — | 1 | 0 | 11 | 2 | |
| 2011–12 | Super League Greece | 20 | 6 | 1 | 1 | — | 21 | 7 | ||
| Pachuca | 2012–13 | Liga MX | 13 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 15 | 1 | |
| León | 2012–13 | Liga MX | 7 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| Rayo Vallecano | 2013–14 | La Liga | 11 | 2 | 4 | 0 | — | 15 | 2 | |
| Total | 196 | 42 | 49 | 9 | 23 | 6 | 268 | 57 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico | 2007 | 12 | 5 |
| 2008 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 6 | 1 | |
| Total | 21 | 6 | |
| International goals | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1 | 8 June 2007 | Giants Stadium,East Rutherford, United States |  Cuba | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 2 | 27 June 2007 | Polideportivo Cachamay,Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela |  Brazil | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2007 Copa América |
| 3 | 1 July 2007 | Estadio Monumental de Maturín,Maturín, Venezuela |  Ecuador | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2007 Copa América |
| 4 | 8 July 2007 | Estadio Monumental de Maturín, Maturín, Venezuela |  Paraguay | 1–0 | 6–0 | 2007 Copa América |
| 5 | 8 July 2007 | Estadio Monumental de Maturín, Maturín, Venezuela | Paraguay | 3–0 | 6–0 | 2007 Copa América |
| 6 | 1 April 2009 | Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano,San Pedro Sula, Honduras |  Honduras | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Olympiacos
Shakhtar Donetsk
Individual
Mexico squads | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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