<p>Nery Castillo</p><p><span class=\"mw-headline\">Early career</span></p><p>Nery Castillo Jr. was considered at one time one of the most promising young players in the world; he made his debut at the tender age of 15 for his home club <a title=\"Danubio F.C.\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danubio_F.C.\">Danubio</a> in the <a class=\"new\" title=\"Uruguayan football\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Uruguayan_football&action=edit\">Uruguayan football</a> first division. While participating with a youth team of Danubio on a Brazilian tournament, Castillo was spotted by several scouts from different European clubs. His father and agent decided that the best opportunity for his son was with <a title=\"Manchester United\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester_United\">Manchester United</a> in the <a title=\"English Premier League\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Premier_League\">English Premier League</a>, but Nery failed to obtain a work permit and the door to join the <a title=\"England\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/England\">English</a> club was closed. At the age of 16 and after his bitter experience with English Football, the father of Castillo accepted the offer of the Greek club <a title=\"Olympiacos\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympiacos\">Olympiacos</a>. Castillo was invited not long after to a minicamp of the Uruguayan U-17 national team that was preparing for the South American U-17 football tournament; he accepted the invitation but was cut from the roster for uncertain reasons before the tournament. An action that made him reluctant to ever play for any under age team on international football.</p><h2><span class=\"editsection\">[<a title=\"Edit section: Move to Olympiacos\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nery_Castillo&action=edit&section=2\">edit</a>]</span>
<span class=\"mw-headline\">Move to Olympiacos</span></h2><p>Three years after he joined <a title=\"Olympiacos\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympiacos\">Olympiacos</a>, Castillo became a regular starter in both the domestic and European competitions and began to shine thanks to his playmaking ability and rare attributes that allow him to play on any offensive position. Those rare attributes and his performance on the <a title=\"UEFA Champions League\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Champions_League\">UEFA Champions League</a>, caught the attention of <a class=\"new\" title=\"Juan Ramón Carrasco\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Juan_Ram%C3%B3n_Carrasco&action=edit\">Juan Ramón Carrasco</a>, then manager of the <a title=\"Uruguay national football team\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uruguay_national_football_team\">Uruguayan national team</a>, but Carrasco wasn\'t the only one that noticed Castillo\'s abilities. In <a title=\"Mexico\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico\">Mexico</a> it was the press first and the football federation after; that found out that Nery Castillo Jr. was born in Mexico and eligible to play for his native country. Both federations tried to lure the player to their respective program, but at the time Castillo declined both invitations under the argument that he couldn\'t make his mind on which country he wanted to represent.</p><p>After that point his career took a downslide, a rumored transaction to the Italian side <a title=\"Juventus\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juventus\">Juventus</a> never happened, apparently changes in the management of his club and the coach combined with the arrival of the famous Brazilian player <a title=\"Rivaldo\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rivaldo\">Rivaldo</a>, relegated him from his starting role to the bench. Other off the field issues with the coach and teammates have contributed to increase the perception that Castillo is a problematic player.</p><p>A year after he rejected <a title=\"Mexico\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico\">Mexico</a>\'s invitation, and once he was relegated to <a title=\"Olympiacos\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympiacos\">Olympiacos</a> bench, his father sent a picture to the Mexican press of his son with the jersey of the <a title=\"Mexico national football team\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico_national_football_team\">Mexican national team</a> and gave an interview declaring that his son was ready to play for Mexico <sup><a class=\"external autonumber\" title=\"http://espndeportes.espn.go.com/news/story?id=364481&redir=true\" href=\"http://espndeportes.espn.go.com/news/story?id=364481&redir=true\" rel=\"nofollow\">[1]</a></sup>, but at the time the <a title=\"Federación Mexicana de Fútbol Asociación\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federación_Mexicana_de_Fútbol_Asociación\">Mexican Federation</a> wasn\'t interested. In early 2006 his father and agent began negotiations with the Mexican club <a title=\"Chivas de Guadalajara\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chivas_de_Guadalajara\">Chivas de Guadalajara</a>, but were interrupted because <a title=\"Olympiacos\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympiacos\">Olympiacos</a> wasn\'t interested in negotiating the player at the time.</p><p>For the <a title=\"2006-07 in Greek football\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006-07_in_Greek_football\">2006-2007 campaign</a> Castillo looks like a solid starter, many reports consider that the player has changed his attitude and solved many off the field issues. The new perspective of a more mature Castillo encouraged the officers of <a title=\"Olympiacos\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympiacos\">Olympiacos</a> to renew his contract, extending its length four more years, and improve its economic conditions as well. <sup><a class=\"external autonumber\" title=\"http://www.greeksoccer.com/news/all_news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1155442480&archive=&start_from=&ucat=1&\" href=\"http://www.greeksoccer.com/news/all_news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1155442480&archive=&start_from=&ucat=1&\" rel=\"nofollow\">[2]</a></sup></p><p>Castillo was the leading scorer for <a title=\"Olympiacos\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympiacos\">Olympiacos</a>, or indeed any Greek club, during the preparatory phase for the <a title=\"2006-07 in Greek football\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006-07_in_Greek_football\">2006-2007 season</a>, accumulating seven goals in friendly games against formidable opposition. Since then his form only seems to be improving, with a <a title=\"Hat-trick\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hat-trick\">hat-trick</a> performance against <a title=\" anionios FC\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panionios_FC\">anionios FC</a> and several more goals both in the domestic tournament or the <a title=\"UEFA Champions League\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Champions_League\">UEFA Champions League</a>, Castillo has become one of the best goal scorers of <a title=\"Olympiacos\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympiacos\">Olympiacos</a> this season.</p><p>The player is a favorite among the legions of <a title=\"Olympiacos\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympiacos\">Olympiacos</a> fans as he is often very vocal about his love for the team. They have often defended him against harsh criticism from the press and have demanded his continued presence on the roster. He sports the number seven, a symbolic honor for any Olympiacos player.</p><p><a id=\"Choosing_Nationality\" name=\"Choosing_Nationality\"></a></p><h2><span class=\"editsection\">[<a title=\"Edit section: Choosing Nationality\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nery_Castillo&action=edit&section=3\">edit</a>]</span>
<span class=\"mw-headline\">Choosing Nationality</span></h2><p>With Castillo nearing seven years as a resident of <a title=\"Greece\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greece\">Greece</a>, the minimum needed for an athlete to gain the Greek Nationality, speculations about the <a title=\"Hellenic Football Federation\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellenic_Football_Federation\">Greek Football Federation</a>\'s interest rose once again. False information leaked to the Mexican media allegedely through one of Castillo\'s teammates indicated that the player could soon declare to play for <a title=\"Greece\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greece\">Greece</a>. The report claimed that Nery would choose <a title=\"Greece\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greece\">Greece</a> because the <a title=\"Hellenic Football Federation\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellenic_Football_Federation\">Greek Football Federation</a> was willing to pay him one million dollars and give him other benefits to play for their national team.<sup><a class=\"external autonumber\" title=\"http://www.mediotiempo.com/noticia.php?id_noticia=27661#Birth\" href=\"http://www.mediotiempo.com/noticia.php?id_noticia=27661#Birth\" rel=\"nofollow\">[3]</a></sup></p><p>Reports indicate that Greece boss <a title=\"Otto Rehhagel\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_Rehhagel\">Otto Rehhagel</a> have told officials of the <a title=\"Hellenic Football Federation\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellenic_Football_Federation\">Greek Football Federation</a> to secure the player as quickly as possible and was seeking to speak with the player himself to learn of his intentions. <sup><a class=\"external autonumber\" title=\"http://www.soccerway.com/news/2006/November/9/greece-to-call-up-hot-shot-castillo/\" href=\"http://www.soccerway.com/news/2006/November/9/greece-to-call-up-hot-shot-castillo/\" rel=\"nofollow\">[4]</a></sup>.</p><p>On <a title=\"November 30\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/November_30\">November 30</a>, <a title=\"2006\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006\">2006</a>, Nery Castillo announced that he was ready and eager to play for the <a title=\"Mexico national football team\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico_national_football_team\">Mexican national team</a> in the upcoming <a title=\"Copa America\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copa_America\">Copa America</a> and <a title=\"Gold Cup\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_Cup\">Gold Cup</a> in 2007.<sup><a class=\"external autonumber\" title=\"http://www.greeksoccer.com/news/olympiakos_news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1164911939&archive=&start_from=&ucat=1&\" href=\"http://www.greeksoccer.com/news/olympiakos_news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1164911939&archive=&start_from=&ucat=1&\" rel=\"nofollow\">[5]</a></sup> On <a title=\"February 5\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_5\">February 5</a>, <a title=\"2007\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007\">2007</a> Castillo arrived to the <a title=\"Mexico national football team\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico_national_football_team\">Mexican national team</a> camp that was preparing for a game against the <a title=\"United States\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States\">United States</a> on <a title=\"February 7\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_7\">February 7</a>, <a title=\"2007\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007\">2007</a>. However, he did not even appear on the bench, presumably because of an injury on his left ankle, which left his official debut with the <a title=\"Mexico national football team\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico_national_football_team\">Mexican national team</a> to the match against Cuba scoring 1 goal in the Gold Cup.</p><p><a id=\"Mexico_National_Team\" name=\"Mexico_National_Team\"></a></p><h2><span class=\"editsection\">[<a title=\"Edit section: Mexico National Team\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nery_Castillo&action=edit&section=4\">edit</a>]</span>
<span class=\"mw-headline\">Mexico National Team</span></h2><p>After much controversy, Castillo made his debut with <a title=\"Mexico national football team\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico_national_football_team\">Mexico</a> on <a title=\"June 2\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_2\">June 2</a>, <a title=\"2007\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007\">2007</a> against <a title=\"Iran\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran\">Iran</a>. The game was held in his hometown <a title=\"San Luis Potosí\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Luis_Potosí\">San Luis Potosí</a> and, with an important performance from him, the <a title=\"Mexico national football team\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico_national_football_team\">Mexican National Team</a> won 4-0, and Nery received a warm welcome by the fans. On June 8, 2007 he scored his first goal for the Mexican team in Mexico\'s first game of the 2007 Gold Cup against Cuba.</p><p><a id=\"Statistics\" name=\"Statistics\"></a></p><h2><span class=\"editsection\">[<a title=\"Edit section: Statistics\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nery_Castillo&action=edit&section=5\">edit</a>]</span>
<span class=\"mw-headline\">Statistics</span></h2><p><i>(until 21 May 2007)</i></p><p><table class=\"wikitable\"><tbody><tr><th>Team</th><th>Year</th><th>Caps</th><th>Goals</th></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\" rowspan=\"8\"><a title=\"Olympiacos\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympiacos\">Olympiacos</a></td><td>2006-07</td><td align=\"center\">25</td><td align=\"center\">12</td></tr><tr><td>2005-06</td><td align=\"center\">17</td><td align=\"center\">2</td></tr><tr><td>2004-05</td><td align=\"center\">26</td><td align=\"center\">6</td></tr><tr><td>2003-04</td><td align=\"center\">26</td><td align=\"center\">7</td></tr><tr><td>2002-03</td><td align=\"center\">9</td><td align=\"center\">3</td></tr><tr><td>2001-02</td><td align=\"center\">1</td><td align=\"center\">0</td></tr><tr><td>2000-01</td><td align=\"center\">1</td><td align=\"center\">0</td></tr><tr><td><b>Total</b></td><td align=\"center\"><b>105</b></td><td align=\"center\"><b>30</b></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\" rowspan=\"2\"><a title=\"Danubio\" href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danubio\">Danubio</a></td><td>1999-00</td><td align=\"center\">2</td><td align=\"center\">0</td></tr><tr><td><b>Total</b></td><td align=\"center\"><b>2</b></td><td align=\"center\"><b>0</b></td></tr><tr><td valign=\"top\"><b>Career total</b></td><td></td><td align=\"center\"><b>107</b></td><td align=\"center\"><b>30</b></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p></p> |
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