Christian Giovanni Castillo Martínez (born August 25, 1984 in

San Salvador San Salvador (; ) is the capital and the largest city of El Salvador and its eponymous department. It is the country's political, cultural, educational and financial center. The Metropolitan Area of San Salvador, which comprises the capital i ...

) 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 Salvado ...

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 le ...

. 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 Sa ...

. After being banned, he played for

Zeravani SC Zeravani ( ar, نادي زيرفاني, ku-2, یانه ی زێڕه ڤانی) is a sports club based in Duhok, Iraqi Kurdistan, Iraq. It was formed in 2011, entering competition in the Kurdish Premier League. Club history The predecessor club wa ...

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 ...

, 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 The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commercially known as LaLiga SmartBank for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spanish football league system. Administrated by the Lig ...

club C.D. Telecom.

Chalatenango

After spending four years with the

side, Castillo then transferred to

C.D. Chalatenango Asociación Deportiva Chalatenango is a Salvadoran professional football club based in Chalatenango, El Salvador, they are currently playing in the top-tier Primera División de Fútbol de El Salvador. The club was founded in 1950 as C.D. Alac ...

for the 2006 Apertura season. He made his Primera División debut on August 20, 2006 in a league match against C.D. Águila. 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 Primera División goal; it came on September 30, 2007 in a league match against Nejapa F.C.

Alianza

Controversially, Castillo then transferred to

Alianza F.C. Alianza Fútbol Club, also known simply as Alianza, is a football club based in San Salvador, El Salvador. Founded in 1958, Alianza was almost immediately successful, winning its first championships in the 1966 and 1967 Salvadoran seasons. Even ...

for the 2008 Apertura season, after the then

club president

Lisandro Pohl Lisandro is a male first name, particularly common in Argentina. Its origin comes from the Ancient Greek language, and is believed to have been popularized thanks to Lysander, a Spartan military and political leader. It may refer to: * Lisandro Ab ...

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

players. At

, 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 C.D. Águila. After being released from

D.C. United D.C. United is a professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. that competes in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer, the top tier of American soccer. Domestically, the club has won four MLS Cups (league championships), four Supp ...

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 Club León Fútbol Club, also known as León, is a Mexican professional football club based in León, Guanajuato, that competes in the Liga MX, the top flight of Mexican football. León has won the Primera División de México/Liga MX title ...

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 foot ...

and Julio Enrique Martínez. On 3 December 2009, it was announced that

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 Canada ...

side

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 match against

FC Dallas FC Dallas is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). The franchise be ...

Suphanburi F.C.

In February 2013, Castillo decided to try a big leap. After bittersweet negotiations with Lisandro Pohl,

owner, he rescinded his contract calling a clause that allowed him to transfer to

Suphanburi F.C. Suphanburi Football Club () is a Thai professional football club based in Suphan Buri province. The club competes in the Thai League 2, the second tier of Thai football. Their home stadium is Suphan Buri Provincial Stadium. Club history Fou ...

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 August ...

, and signed a contract for one year with option for one more year, leaving

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 José Mardoqueo Henríquez Dubón (born May 24, 1987) is a Salvadoran former footballer. He was banned for life in 2013, for match-fixing while playing for the El Salvador national football team. He then played for Zeravani SC in the Iraqi Pr ...

joined

International career

Castillo officially received his first cap on April 23, 2008 in a friendly match against

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. 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 smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

. His second goal came almost eight months later on March 28, 2009 when he scored in a

World Cup qualification The FIFA World Cup qualification is a competitive match that a national association football team takes in order to qualify for one of the available berths at the final tournament of the (men's) FIFA World Cup. Qualifying tournaments are hel ...

match against the

USA The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. 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