Chory Castro

Gonzalo "Chory" Castro Irizábal (born 14 September 1984) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays for Club Atlético River Plate (Montevideo) as a left winger.

He started his career at Nacional, but played mostly in La Liga after arriving in Spain at the age of 22, totalling 296 matches for Mallorca, Real Sociedad and Málaga over 11 seasons and scoring 41 goals.

Castro won five caps for the Uruguay national team in eight years.

Club career

Early years and Mallorca

Born in Trinidad, Flores Department, Castro was a product of Club Nacional de Football's youth ranks. He made his professional debut on 13 July 2002 in a 3–1 win over Central Español, going on to become an important first-team member and helping them to two Uruguayan Primera División titles while finishing in the scorer charts' top three in the 2005–06 season.

On 7 August 2007, Castro signed a five-year contract with La Liga club RCD Mallorca. Rarely used during his first year, the same occurred in the 2008–09 campaign;El glorioso paso del “Chory” Castro por el RCD Mallorca ("Chory" Castro's glorious spell at RCD Mallorca)
Diario UF, 14 May 2020 however, during a week in March 2009, he managed to score in a 1–1 home draw against FC Barcelona in the Copa del Rey, adding a brace in a league 3–3 home draw with Real Betis after coming from the bench as the Balearic Islands team trailed 0–2 (and eventually 0–3).

In 2009–10, Castro finally beat competition from veteran Fernando Varela, starting most of the campaign and scoring six goals in 35 matches as Mallorca finished fifth and qualified for the UEFA Europa League (fourth until the last minute of the last matchday). On 23 October 2010 he netted twice at Valencia CF in a 2–1 victory, opening the score with a seventh-minute penalty kick; he scored five times in 33 games during that season, helping his team barely avoid relegation.

Real Sociedad

After leaving Mallorca in May 2012, Castro continued competing in the Spanish top flight, joining Real Sociedad for four years as a free agent. On 19 January 2013, he netted two of his six goals during the campaign to help the hosts come from behind 0–2 and defeat Barcelona 3–2.

Castro appeared in seven out of the Basques' eight matches in the 2013–14 edition of the UEFA Champions League – all rounds comprised – going scoreless in the process as the team exited in the group stage.

Málaga

On 6 January 2016, Castro terminated his link (which was about to expire) with Real Sociedad and moved to fellow league side Málaga CF for two and a half seasons.

International career

Castro made his debut for Uruguay on 17 August 2005, playing the first half of a friendly against Spain in Gijón. He was selected for a provisional squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup by coach Óscar Tabárez, but eventually did not make the final cut.

Personal life

Castro's younger sister, Juliana, was also a footballer. A striker, she played for several clubs in her career including the Missouri Valley College in the United States, and also represented the Uruguay national team.Fútbol Femenino: River Plate y Rampla Juniors prevalecieron sobre Nacional y Huracán Buceo (Women's football: River Plate and Rampla Juniors prevailed over Nacional and Huracán Buceo)
Sociedad Uruguaya, 31 August 2009

Honours

Nacional
* Uruguayan Primera División: 2002, 2005, 2005–06

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Castro, Chory
1984 births
Living people
People from Flores Department
Uruguayan people of Spanish descent
Uruguayan people of Basque descent
Uruguayan people of Galician descent
Uruguayan footballers
Association football wingers
Uruguayan Primera División players
Club Nacional de Football players
Club Atlético River Plate (Montevideo) players
La Liga players
RCD Mallorca players
Real Sociedad footballers
Málaga CF players
Uruguay international footballers
Uruguayan expatriate footballers
Expatriate footballers in Spain
Uruguayan expatriate sportspeople in Spain