José Antonio Castro


José Antonio Castro González is a former Mexican football player who last played as a defender for Atlético San Luis. He gained notoriety for his performances with Club América and at the 2006 FIFA World Cup for Mexico. He is often referred to by his nickname "El Gringo", given to him in his childhood because his parents are both Spanish, and his blue eyes.

Club career

Known for his speed and solid defensive work rate, Castro was a good marker and counter-attacker who was trained in the Club América youth system. He made his debut in the Mexican Championship against Leon in the 2000–2001 season. After receiving little playing time in his first two seasons with the senior team, Castro became a vital player for the club in the Verano 2002 season, displaying fine form which helped Club América win the Mexican league championships in 2002 and the Clausura title in 2005. The talented Wingback was a key player and is one of the two players to have started every game of the 2004-2005 season.
For the Clausura 2008, El Gringo had the responsibility of being the vice-captain of Las Águilas since Duilio Davino left the club and Germán Villa was given the job of being the team's captain. After a poor season with Club América, El Gringo was put on the transfer list. On December 5, 2008, Castro was loaned to UANL Tigres for an undisclosed fee.

International career

Castro made his international debut for the Mexicon national football team in Los Angeles in a friendly match against Argentina on February 4, 2003. Ricardo La Volpe played him as a Right Winger as usual, but as a midfielder instead of defender. He played his first World Cup match against Portugal in Germany, a game which the Mexicans lost 2-1. Despite the team losing the match, Castro helped his country reach the Round of 16 where they played against Argentina. Since then, he has been called up to play friendly matches. He was even called up to play the 2007 editions of the Gold Cup and Copa América for Mexico. Recently, he was called up by Mexico coach Javier Aguirre for the 2009 Gold Cup. He scored his only international goal against the United States in the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup Final.

Honors

Club

;América
;UANL
;Mexico
GoalDateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.July 26, 2009Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States4–05–02009 CONCACAF Gold Cup