1. Early life and youth career
Nery Castillo was born in San Luis Potosí, Mexico. His father, an Uruguayan professional footballer, played for the local team of San Luis. Castillo also has Italian descent through his maternal grandparents. While Castillo was still a young child, his family relocated to South America.
He began his football journey in the youth team of the Uruguayan club Danubio. During a tournament in Brazil, Castillo's talent garnered the attention of scouts from various European clubs. He subsequently underwent trials, including one with Manchester United. However, his attempt to secure a transfer to the English club was unsuccessful as he was unable to obtain a work permit.
2. Club career
Castillo's professional club career spanned several countries, beginning in Greece with Olympiacos before moving to Ukraine, England, the United States, and finally Spain.
2.1. Olympiacos
At the age of 16, Nery Castillo's father and agent accepted an offer from the Greek club Olympiacos. Over three years, Castillo developed into a regular starter for the team in both domestic and European competitions. He quickly became a favorite among the Gate 7 Ultras fan group, a testament to his popularity, and was even given the number 7 shirt in recognition of their support.
Castillo was an integral part of the Olympiacos squad that secured three consecutive league titles. During the preparatory phase for the 2006-07 season, he emerged as the club's leading scorer in friendly games, netting seven goals. By the end of that season, he was second only to Rivaldo in both goals and assists for Olympiacos, contributing three goals in five Champions League matches. In early 2006, negotiations with Mexican club Guadalajara for Castillo's transfer were suspended as Olympiacos expressed no interest in selling him at the time. However, in 2007, Olympiacos eventually accepted a substantial offer of 20.00 M EUR from Ukrainian club FC Shakhtar Donetsk for Castillo's services. In what he correctly anticipated would be his final game for Olympiacos, Castillo famously scored with a free kick, taking it himself despite another teammate preparing for the shot.
2.2. Shakhtar Donetsk
On July 31, 2007, Castillo officially transferred to Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk on a five-year contract, with the transfer fee reportedly set at 20.00 M EUR. This transaction marked a significant moment in Ukrainian football, becoming the most expensive transfer for a Ukrainian club at that time.
Castillo quickly made an impact, scoring his first goal for Shakhtar against SV Salzburg in a Champions League fixture. However, his tenure at Shakhtar was also marked by a controversial incident during a league match against FC Naftovyk-Ukrnafta Okhtyrka. When Shakhtar was awarded a penalty kick, Castillo refused to allow the designated penalty-taker, Cristiano Lucarelli, to take the shot, instead taking it himself. The penalty was subsequently saved by the goalkeeper. Immediately following this incident, Castillo was substituted from the game. Coach Mircea Lucescu publicly condemned Castillo's actions, stating, "What Castillo did, from a professional point of view, I've never seen anything like it before in my whole life. There will be some measures taken against Castillo."
2.2.1. Manchester City (loan)
On December 18, 2007, it was announced that Castillo had signed a one-year loan agreement to join Manchester City, effective from January 1, 2008. Castillo expressed strong interest in making the move to the Premier League happen, and in an unusual step, he reportedly paid half of the loan fee himself to facilitate the transfer. Manchester City's manager, Sven-Göran Eriksson, confirmed Castillo's keenness, noting he had "never seen a player pay for half the transfer deal himself before."
Castillo made his debut for Manchester City on January 5, 2008, in an FA Cup third-round match against West Ham United. However, his time at the club was hampered by injury. In his first home appearance, an FA Cup replay on January 16, 2008, he was stretchered off after just 32 minutes due to a broken shoulder. He concluded the season with a total of nine appearances, with seven of them being in the Premier League. Unable to secure a consistent place within the Manchester City squad, Castillo returned to Shakhtar Donetsk at the end of his loan spell in January 2009.
2.2.2. Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (loan)
After returning to Shakhtar Donetsk, Castillo found himself consistently excluded from the squad, not even making the bench for the initial two matches of the 2009-10 season. Consequently, on July 30, 2009, he was loaned for a year to Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, a rival club in the Ukrainian league.
2.2.3. Chicago Fire (loan)
On July 17, 2010, Chicago Fire announced the signing of Castillo as their newest Designated Player. He joined the Major League Soccer club on loan, with Chicago holding an option to make the transfer from Shakhtar Donetsk permanent. At the time of his signing, he became the second youngest designated player in Major League Soccer history.
2.3. Aris
On January 19, 2011, Castillo returned to Greece, joining Aris on a six-month loan. He made his debut for Aris on January 30, 2011, in a match against local rivals PAOK.
Following the conclusion of his loan, Castillo formally terminated his contract with Shakhtar Donetsk and signed a two-year contract with Aris on July 1, 2011, making his move permanent. He scored his first league goal for Aris in the 2011-12 season on January 8, 2012, securing a 1-0 victory over PAS Giannina. He found the net twice, achieving his first brace, in a 3-1 win against Doxa Drama on January 22. Seven days later, he scored his second consecutive brace in a 2-1 victory over Levadiakos. Castillo continued his impressive scoring run, netting another goal on February 5 in a 2-0 win over Xanthi, bringing his goal tally for the season to six.
2.4. Pachuca
On June 14, 2012, Castillo moved to Mexican Liga MX club Pachuca, signing a three-year contract.
2.4.1. León (loan)
On December 10, 2012, Castillo was loaned to Club León for a six-month period. During his time with Club León, he made seven appearances in total.
2.5. Rayo Vallecano
On July 9, 2013, Castillo joined Spanish club Rayo Vallecano on a free transfer. This marked his final professional club career phase. He expressed that it was a dream to play in Spain.
3. International career
Castillo's international career was notable for his decision regarding which national team to represent, given his eligibility for multiple countries, and his significant impact for Mexico.
3.1. Choosing nationality
Nery Castillo possessed eligibility for citizenship and thus potential representation in four different countries. He was eligible for Uruguay through his father's nationality, for Italy due to his maternal grandparents, for Greece because he had resided there for more than six years, and for Mexico, his country of birth.
His first experience with international football came when he was called up to a Uruguay U-17 training camp, though he was released after playing a few friendly games. Subsequently, Otto Rehhagel, the coach of the Greece national football team, made attempts to secure Castillo's services, reportedly offering him 800.00 K USD and fast-tracked Greek citizenship as part of the incentive. Ultimately, after considering his options, Castillo chose to represent the country of his birth and joined the Mexico national football team.
3.2. Mexico national team
Castillo made his international debut for Mexico on June 2, 2007, in a match against Iran, held in his hometown of San Luis Potosí. Mexico won the game 4-0. He went on to represent his country in the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup, where he scored his first international goal against Cuba.
He also participated in the 2007 Copa América. A pre-tournament injury to teammate Jared Borgetti opened up a starting position for Castillo. He made an immediate impact, scoring in Mexico's first match of the tournament, a 2-0 victory against Brazil. He scored again against Ecuador, helping Mexico secure a spot in the knockout stages. In the quarter-final match against Paraguay, Castillo scored a brace, with his first goal coming from a penalty spot, contributing to Mexico's dominant 6-0 win. Overall, Castillo was the third highest goal scorer of the 2007 Copa América, with four goals, trailing only Juan Román Riquelme and Robinho. His final international goal was scored on April 1, 2009, against Honduras in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification match, which Mexico lost 1-3.
4. After retirement
Following his retirement from professional football, Nery Castillo ventured into business, dedicating himself to selling fishing equipment and gear. He established his primary business in Athens, Greece, and also maintains a branch on Fournoi island, located near Ikaria.
5. Career statistics
5.1. Club statistics
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Olympiacos | 2000-01 | Super League Greece | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | - | 4 | 1 | |
| 2001-02 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | - | 8 | 1 | |||
| 2002-03 | 9 | 3 | 7 | 1 | - | 16 | 4 | |||
| 2003-04 | 26 | 7 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 39 | 11 | ||
| 2004-05 | 26 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 35 | 7 | ||
| 2005-06 | 17 | 2 | 5 | 2 | - | 22 | 4 | |||
| 2006-07 | 25 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 35 | 15 | ||
| Shakhtar Donetsk | 2007-08 | Ukrainian Premier League | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 14 | 1 |
| Manchester City | 2007-08 | Premier League | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | 9 | 0 | |
| Shakhtar | 2008-09 | Ukrainian Premier League | 4 | 1 | - | - | 4 | 1 | ||
| Dnipro | 2008-09 | Ukrainian Premier League | 3 | 0 | - | - | 3 | 0 | ||
| Chicago Fire | 2010 | Major League Soccer | 8 | 0 | - | - | 8 | 0 | ||
| Aris | 2010-11 | Super League Greece | 10 | 2 | - | 1 | 0 | 11 | 2 | |
| 2011-12 | 20 | 6 | 1 | 1 | - | 21 | 7 | |||
| Pachuca | 2012-13 | Liga MX | 13 | 1 | 2 | 0 | - | 15 | 1 | |
| León | 2012-13 | Liga MX | 7 | 0 | - | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| Rayo Vallecano | 2013-14 | La Liga | 11 | 2 | 4 | 0 | - | 15 | 2 | |
| Total | 196 | 42 | 49 | 9 | 23 | 6 | 268 | 57 | ||
5.2. International statistics
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico | 2007 | 12 | 5 |
| 2008 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 6 | 1 | |
| Total | 21 | 6 | |
5.3. International goals
| International goals | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1 | June 8, 2007 | Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, United States | Cuba | 2-1 | 2-1 | 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 2 | June 27, 2007 | Polideportivo Cachamay, Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela | Brazil | 1-0 | 2-0 | 2007 Copa América |
| 3 | July 1, 2007 | Estadio Monumental de Maturín, Maturín, Venezuela | Ecuador | 1-0 | 2-1 | 2007 Copa América |
| 4 | July 8, 2007 | Estadio Monumental de Maturín, Maturín, Venezuela | Paraguay | 1-0 | 6-0 | 2007 Copa América |
| 5 | July 8, 2007 | Estadio Monumental de Maturín, Maturín, Venezuela | Paraguay | 3-0 | 6-0 | 2007 Copa América |
| 6 | April 1, 2009 | Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano, San Pedro Sula, Honduras | Honduras | 1-3 | 1-3 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
6. Honours
Nery Castillo earned numerous team championships and individual recognitions throughout his football career.
Olympiacos
- Super League Greece: 2000-01, 2001-02, 2002-03, 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07
- Greek Cup: 2004-05, 2005-06
Shakhtar Donetsk
- UEFA Cup: 2008-09
Individual
- Copa América Best XI: 2007