Christian Giovanni Castillo Martínez (born August 25, 1984 in San Salvador) is a

Salvadoran Salvadorans ( Spanish: ''Salvadoreños''), also known as Salvadorians (alternate spelling: Salvadoreans), are citizens of El Salvador, a country in Central America. Most Salvadorans live in El Salvador, although there is also a significant Salvad ...

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

. He was banned for life in 2013, for

match-fixing In organized sports, match fixing is the act of playing or officiating a match with the intention of achieving a pre-determined result, violating the rules of the game and often the law. There are many reasons why match fixing might take place, ...

while playing for the

El Salvador national football team The El Salvador national football team ( es, Selección de fútbol de El Salvador) represents El Salvador in international football, and is governed by the Salvadoran Football Federation (FESFUT). In 1899, two teams from Santa Ana and San ...

. After being banned, he played for Zeravani SC in the

Iraqi Premier League The Iraqi Premier League ( ar, الدوري العراقي الممتاز) is the top level of the Iraqi football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it is operated by the Iraq Football Association (IFA) and operates on a system of promotion an ...

, a league unsanctioned by FIFA.

Club career

Telecom & early career

Castillo began his professional career in 2002 at the age of 18, when he signed with now defunct Segunda División club C.D. Telecom.

Chalatenango

After spending four years with the San Salvador side, Castillo then transferred to C.D. Chalatenango for the 2006 Apertura season. He made his

Primera División Primera may refer to * Nissan Primera, a car * Primera Air, a former airline * Primera división (disambiguation), multiple top division football leagues * Primera, Texas, a town in Cameron County, Texas * Alí Primera, Venezuelan musician, compos ...

debut on August 20, 2006 in a league match against

C.D. Águila Club Deportivo Águila, commonly known as Águila, is a Salvadoran football club based in San Miguel, El Salvador. The club currently plays in the Primera División, the top tier of the El Salvador football league system. Águila is one of ...

. Castillo's speed, ball control and exciting dribbling skills quickly made him somewhat of a fan favourite, but his first season with his new club saw him play most games off the bench. The following season things got worse for Castillo when he suffered an injury that led to him only being able to play one game the entire tournament. After having to watch most of the entire season from the sidelines, Castillo returned for the following season. This time he was able to prove himself and was consistently part of the club's starting eleven. This season also saw him score his first

goal; it came on September 30, 2007 in a league match against

Nejapa F.C. Alacranes del Norte (formerly known as ''Nejapa Fútbol Club'') was a football club based in Chalatenango, Chalatenango, Chalatenango, El Salvador. The club last played in the Segunda División de Fútbol Salvadoreño, Segunda División. In Janua ...

Alianza

Controversially, Castillo then transferred to Alianza F.C. for the 2008 Apertura season, after the then C.D. Chalatenango club president Lisandro Pohl left the club and took all the players that he had helped to sign with him. After much dispute, it was decided that Castillo and the other players that Pohl had signed were eligible to transfer and they all officially became Alianza F.C. players. At Alianza F.C., Castillo continued to impress and most importantly improved his game to become one of the most, if not the most important players at the club. He scored his first goal with his new club on November 26, 2008 in a league match against

. After being released from D.C. United before the end of the 2010 season, Castillo returned to Alianza for the Apertura 2010. On October 21, 2012 Castillo played his 100th game for Alianza in their 2-0 loss against Metapa

León

On 15 June 2009, Castillo was one of the three Salvadoran footballers signed to Mexican club, Club León on a loan basis, the other two were

Rodolfo Zelaya Rodolfo Antonio Zelaya García (born 3 July 1988) is a Salvadoran professional footballer who plays as a second striker for Salvadoran club Alianza and the El Salvador national team. In October 2013, Zelaya was given a one-year ban from fo ...

and

Julio Enrique Martínez Julio is the Spanish equivalent of the month July and may refer to: * Julio (given name) * Julio (surname) * Júlio de Castilhos, a municipality of the western part of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil * ''Julio'' (album), a 1983 compilation a ...

. On 3 December 2009, it was announced that Club León had permanently signed Castillo along with the other two Salvadorans with a three-year contract.

D.C. United

Castillo joined

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Cana ...

side D.C. United on loan for the 2010 MLS season. On June 29, 2010, he was released by the club after a fall out over contract terms and left the club. He made a total of 10 league games with the club, and scored one goal in a

U.S. Open Cup The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a Single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in men's Soccer in the United States, soccer in the United States of America. It is the oldest ongoing nati ...

match against

FC Dallas FC Dallas is an American professional soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes as a member of the Western Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). The franchise began play in 1996 as a charter club of the leag ...

Suphanburi F.C.

In February 2013, Castillo decided to try a big leap. After bittersweet negotiations with Lisandro Pohl, Alianza F.C.owner, he rescinded his contract calling a clause that allowed him to transfer to Suphanburi F.C. of the

Thai Premier League The Thai League 1 ( th, ไทยลีก 1), often referred to as T1, is the top level of the Thai football league system. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Thai League 2. Seasons run from Augu ...

, and signed a contract for one year with option for one more year, leaving Alianza F.C. in amicable terms. After nine games, he terminated his contract and returned to El Salvador to sign with Luis Angel Firpo.

Zeravani SC

In September 2014, thanks to the

not being recognised by FIFA, Castillo and his fellow banned Salvadoran teammate José Henríquez joined Zeravani SC.

International career

Castillo officially received his first cap on April 23, 2008 in a friendly match against China. He scored his first goal for the national team on August 14, 2008 in a friendly match against

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, small ...

. His second goal came almost eight months later on March 28, 2009 when he scored in a World Cup qualification match against the USA. His third goal came six months later on September 5, once again, against USA with a header above U.S goalkeeper Tim Howard. On September 20, 2013, Castillo was one of 14 Salvadoran players banned for life due to their involvement with

match fixing In organized sports, match fixing is the act of playing or officiating a match with the intention of achieving a pre-determined result, violating the rules of the game and often the law. There are many reasons why match fixing might take place, ...

International goals

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Castillo, Christian 1984 births Living people Footballers from San Salvador Men's association football midfielders Salvadoran footballers El Salvador men's international footballers 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup players A.D. Chalatenango footballers Alianza F.C. footballers Club León footballers D.C. United players Salvadoran expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in Mexico Expatriate soccer players in the United States Major League Soccer players Sportspeople involved in betting scandals Sportspeople banned for life Expatriate footballers in Thailand Salvadoran expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate footballers in Iraq Salvadoran expatriate sportspeople in Iraq Salvadoran expatriate sportspeople in Mexico Salvadoran expatriate sportspeople in Thailand