Gonzalo "Chori" Castro Irizábal (born 14 September 1984 in Trinidad, Flores Department) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays for Real Sociedad in Spain, as a winger.
Club career
A product of Club Nacional de Football's youth ranks, Castro made his professional debut on 13 July 2002 in a 3–1 win over Central Español. He went on to become an important first-team member, helping Nacional to twonational leagues while finishing in the scorer charts' top three in the 2005–06 season.
On 7 August 2007, Castro penned a five-year link with La Liga side RCD Mallorca.[1] Rarely used during his first year, the same occurred in the 2008–09 campaign; 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,[2] adding a brace in a league 3–3 home draw with Real Betis after coming from the bench as the Balearic Islands club trailed 0–2 (and eventually 0–3).[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 win, opening the score with a 7th-minute penalty kick.[4] He scored five goals in 33 games during the season to help his team barely avoid relegation.
International career
Castro made his debut for Uruguay on 17 August 2005, playing the first half of a friendly match against Spain in Gijón.
Honours
- Nacional
Personal life
Castro's younger sister, Juliana, is 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 Uruguayan national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gonzalo Castro Irizábal | ||
| Date of birth | 14 September 1984 | ||
| Place of birth | Trinidad, Uruguay | ||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Playing position | Winger | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Real Sociedad | ||
| Number | 18 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2002–2007 | Nacional | 81 | (21) |
| 2007–2012 | Mallorca | 131 | (23) |
| 2012– | Real Sociedad | 39 | (7) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2005– | Uruguay | 5 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 28 October 2013.
† Appearances (Goals).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 6 February 2013 | |||
