Cristian Gamboa

2.1. Municipal Liberia

Gamboa began his professional career with his hometown club, Municipal Liberia, playing for them from the 2006-2007 season until 2010. During his time with Municipal Liberia, he made 68 appearances, contributing to the team's success in the Costa Rican league.

2.2. Fredrikstad FK

In the summer of 2010, Gamboa moved abroad to join Norwegian side Fredrikstad. He initially joined on a loan deal and played for the club for two half-seasons, making 27 league appearances and scoring one goal. His performances in Norway marked his first experience in European football.

2.3. FC Copenhagen

Following his spell in Norway, Gamboa joined Danish club Copenhagen in the summer of 2011. Although his time at Copenhagen was brief, he made his debut in European competition, playing in a UEFA Europa League match where Copenhagen suffered a 0-1 loss against Standard Liège. He made one appearance in the Danish Cup during his tenure.

2.4. Rosenborg BK

In August 2012, Gamboa returned to Norway, joining Rosenborg on a three-month loan deal, which included an option for the Norwegian club to make the transfer permanent. He made his debut for Rosenborg on 3 September 2012 in a Tippeligaen match against Stabæk, which Rosenborg won 2-0. Having impressed in his ten appearances during the loan spell, Rosenborg offered him a permanent five-year contract in November 2012, which he signed. He continued to play for Rosenborg until 2014, making a total of 40 league appearances and 52 appearances across all competitions.

2.5. West Bromwich Albion

In late July 2014, English Premier League club West Bromwich Albion agreed to sign Gamboa for a fee estimated at around 2.00 M GBP. The completion of the deal faced a hurdle as Gamboa had insufficient recent international appearances to automatically qualify for a work permit. However, a successful appeal to The Football Association confirmed the transfer on 5 August, and he signed a three-year contract.

Gamboa made his debut for West Bromwich Albion on 26 August 2014, coming on as a second-half substitute in a League Cup tie against Oxford United. His league debut followed a few days later against Swansea City, with further substitute appearances thereafter. He made his first league start on 4 October in a 2-1 loss away at Liverpool. Despite the defeat, his performance was noted as impressive. However, this was to be his only league start that season. He fell out of favor after manager Alan Irvine was sacked in December and replaced by Tony Pulis. From January 2015 until the end of the season, Gamboa played only one minute of first-team football, appearing as an injury-time substitute in an FA Cup fifth-round tie against West Ham in February 2015.

His struggles for a first-team place continued into his second season in England, where he played only two games early on. He then went five months without a first-team appearance before returning in February 2016 for an FA Cup fourth-round replay against Peterborough United.

2.6. Celtic F.C.

On 30 August 2016, Gamboa signed a three-year deal with Scottish Premiership club Celtic. During his time with Celtic, he contributed to the club's domestic dominance, securing multiple league titles and cup successes.

2.7. VfL Bochum

On 27 August 2019, Gamboa joined VfL Bochum on a two-year deal, marking his move to German football. He has since been a key player for the club, contributing to their promotion to the Bundesliga. In the 2022 season, he scored a notable goal in a 4-2 victory against FC Bayern Munich. As of June 8, 2024, he has made 119 appearances for VfL Bochum, scoring 2 goals.

3.1. Youth career

Gamboa participated in the 2009 CONCACAF U-20 Championship, where Costa Rica achieved success. He then represented Costa Rica at the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Egypt, where the team notably finished in fourth place.

3.2. Senior career

Gamboa made his debut for the senior Costa Rica national team in January 2010, in a friendly match against Argentina. He scored his first international goal on 16 October 2012, in a 2014 World Cup qualifier against Guyana, contributing to a dominant 7-0 home victory.

He was selected as part of the Costa Rica national team for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Gamboa played in all five of Costa Rica's matches in the tournament, where the team achieved a historic run, reaching the quarter-finals before being eliminated by the Netherlands in a penalty shootout. His performances at the World Cup garnered significant attention.

In May 2018, he was again selected for Costa Rica's 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup held in Russia.

4.1. Club honours

• Municipal Liberia
  • Costa Rican Primera División: Clausura 2009
• Copenhagen
  • Danish Cup: 2011-12
• Celtic
  • Scottish Premiership: 2016-17, 2017-18
  • Scottish League Cup: 2016-17, 2018-19
  • Scottish Cup: 2016-17
• VfL Bochum
  • 2. Bundesliga: 2020-21

4.2. International honours

• Costa Rica
  • CONCACAF Gold Cup: Bronze-medal 2017
  • Copa Centroamericana: Runner-up 2011
  • FIFA U-20 World Cup: Fourth-place 2009
  • CONCACAF U-20 Championship: 2009

4.3. Individual awards

• CONCACAF Best XI: 2017

6.1. Club statistics

Updated to match played 22 February 2025

6.2. National team statistics

Updated 13 November 2020