Nery Castillo Biography and Wallpapers

Nery Castillo Biography

Nery Castillo Biography - Introduction
Not a lot of young Mexican hot prospects managed to catch the eye of the European public over the last few decades and now we're facing two at the same time! Both Giovani Dos Santos, playing for Barcelona and Nery Alberto Castillo, playing for Shaktar Donetsk in Ukraine, are extremely talented youngsters that are the base of tomorrow's Mexican soccer.

A lot has been said about Dos Santos, so I'm going to write up a Nery Castillo biography to try to equal terms between the two.

Nery Castillo Biography – Youth Years
Born in San Luis Potosi in Mexico, Nery Alberto Castillo came from a culturally diverse family, with roots tracing back to Greece, Uruguay, Italy and of course, Mexico. His father was Uruguayan and his mother of Italian descent, so I'm guessing he had a lot of countries to cheer for in the last World Cup.

Full name Nery Alberto Castillo Confalonieri Date of birth June 13, 1984 Place of birth San Luis Potosí, Mexico Height 5.7FT - 1.70M Playing position Forward

Moving to Uruguay at an early age and settling in Montevideo, Castillo took up on soccer at the local club Danubio. Immediately spotted as a quality soccer player, Nery Castillo soon got called to the senior team, where he made his official debut into professional soccer at age 15. However, he would not become a regular in the senior squad at that age, so he constantly changed between the senior and youth squad of Danubio.

It was during a tournament he went on with the youth squad that he was spotted by various European scouts from leagues such as the Premiership, La Liga or Serie A. His father and Nery Castillo's agent talked to several of these scouts and got numerous offers for the young Castillo, despite his age and decided that the best choice would be Manchester United.

Nery Castillo Biography – Work Permits and National Teams
Unfortunately for the youngster, his dream of playing for Manchester United didn't become a reality. In England, all non-European players require a work permit in order to play and these work permits are rather hard to obtain for inexperienced or young players. Even though he had a strong future as a soccer player, Nery Castillo wasn't granted a work permit and had his first contact with the bitter world of European football. Age 16, he was already in the middle of a transfer drama.

Fortunately for him, Manchester United wasn't the only club to offer him and seeing how the Premiership transfer had failed, his father decided to take up on the second-best offer, the one from Olympiakos in Greece. The transfer went on and the young Mexican striker moved to his new club in 2000, after playing just 2 matches for his home team Danubio.

Season Club Games Goals 1999-2000 Danubio 2 0 2000-2007 Olympiacos CFP 105 30 2007- FC Shakhtar Donetsk 5 0 Last Update - Oct 9, 2007

The Uruguay soccer federation had its eyes on Castillo, even though he moved to Greece and offered him the chance to play for Uruguay's national side when the striker was 17 years old. Close to this time, the Mexican federation did the same, seeing how the player was eligible to play for both countries, having been born in Mexico and having lived in Uruguay.

As you probably know, once a footballer decides to play (and actually plays) for a national side, he cannot "switch" to another one, so Castillo declined both offers, stating that he was having a hard time choosing between the two and needed some more time.

Nery Castillo Biography – Olympiakos
Having moved to Olympiakos when he was 16, Nery Castillo didn't get a place in the first team for around 2 seasons, but in his third he made an immediate impact, as soon as he was given a chance. He started playing regularly and was a favorite of the fans, being deemed the wonderkid of the team. His speed, stamina, aggressiveness and offensive abilities all made him a popular figure amongst fans and team mates alike.

In 2006 however, after 3 successful seasons in the ranks of Olympiakos' first team, the change in management and the arrival of an outstanding offensive player, the Brazilian Rivaldo, Castillo found himself gradually taken off the first team and benching out entire games. This caused him a state of unrest as he had several clashes with his new coach and one incident remains famous.

Years National Team Games Goals 2007- Mexico 12 5 Last Update - Sep 27, 2007

At the end of the 2005-2006 season, thinking he would leave Olympiakos in a few months' time anyway, he did a memorable, if goofy gesture. Olympiakos had a free kick and a player was preparing to shoot it towards goal, but Castillo sneaked around him and took the free kick himself, scoring a great goal. He then ran to the Olympiakos fans and threw his shirt in their midst, remaining bare chested.

It was probably a funny sight seeing a half naked player in euphoria, waking up from his joy and acknowledging the fact that he would not be able to regain his shirt for the match.

Since that incident however, Castillo became a much more mature player and in the next season he was offered a new contract and a place in the squad. Since thereon, the Mexican striker regained his regularity and improved his form, scoring important goals in league, cup and in the UEFA Champions League for the Greek team. His goals and assists were second only to Rivaldo, who became a mentor for the young striker.

Impressed by the young Mexican's abilities, Mircea Lucescu, the coach of Ukrainian side Shaktar Donetsk pressed the club's board to buy the Mexican and so they did. The 20 million euro transfer between Olympiakos and Shaktar for Nery Castillo remains the highest ever in both the Ukrainian and Greek leagues.

Nery Castillo Wallpapers