Osvaldo Castro
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Osvaldo Castro Pelayo | ||
| Date of birth | 14 April 1947 | ||
| Place of birth | Copiapó, Chile | ||
| Height | 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1965–1968 | Unión La Calera | 95 | (71) |
| 1969–1971 | Deportes Concepción | 109 | (65) |
| 1972–1975 | América | 88 | (45) |
| 1975–1978 | Jalisco | 130 | (91) |
| 1978 | Universidad Católica | 5 | (0) |
| 1979–1981 | Deportivo Neza | 85 | (45) |
| 1981–1982 | Atlético Potosino | 36 | (24) |
| 1983–1984 | Pumas UNAM | 53 | (9) |
| Total | 601 | (350) | |
| International career | |||
| 1966–1977 | Chile | 28 | (7) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1984– | Pumas UNAM (youth) | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Osvaldo Castro Pelayo (born 14 April 1947) is a Chilean former professional footballer who played league football for clubs in Chile and Mexico, as well as playing international football for the Chile national team.[2]
Career
Castro started his career Chilean club Unión La Calera in 1965, before joining Deportes Concepción.[3] After three seasons he transferred to Mexican side Club América.
Castro joined Club Jalisco for the 1975–76 season, scoring 26 goals in 32 league appearances. In all he scored 91 league goals for the club in his four seasons with them. Following Jalisco's removal from the Primera División, Castro returned to Chile and joined Universidad Católica for about a month.[4][3] Next, he joined Deportivo Neza in 1979–80, before moving on to Atlético Potosino for 1981/82. He played his last Mexican seasons with Pumas de la UNAM, finishing with them in 1983/84.[5]
He played for the Chile national team on four occasions during the 1978 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.[6]
Following his retirement, he has worked as coach for the Pumas UNAM youth ranks.[3]
Post-retirement
Castro made his home in Mexico City, working as a football coach, also founding the Escuela de Fútbol Colo-Colo (Colo-Colo Football Academy), where footballers such as Pablo Barrera and Luis Pérez began their career.[3] In addition, Castro worked for the American football team Los Angeles Rams, helping players to develop strong shoots.[7]
Personal life
His nickname was Pata Bendita (Blessed Foot) since he was a young player, due to his strong shoots.[7]
Honours
Deportes Concepción
América
- Copa México: 1973–74
Chile
- Copa del Pacífico: 1971[10]
Individual
- Primera División de Chile Top Goalscorer: 1970[11]
- Chilean Footballer of the Year: 1970
- Primera División de México Top Goalscorer: 1973–74[12]
- Copa México Top Goalscorer: 1973–74[13]
- Salón de la Fama del Fútbol Internacional: 2025[14]
References
- ^ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin. "Osvaldo Castro (Player)". www.national-football-teams.com. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
- ^ Osvaldo Castro at National-Football-Teams.com
- ^ a b c d "Osvaldo Castro: "Pata bendita"". Apuntes de Rabona (in Spanish). 16 October 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ Vera Valdés, Juan (11 June 2020). "Osvaldo "Pata bendita" Castro: "Sólo Deportes Concepción una vez me invitó a un homenaje"". ADN (in Spanish). ADN Radio Chile. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ Castro's Mexican career stats at mediotiempo
- ^ FIFA Profile
- ^ a b Navarrete, Luis; Fernández, Denís (15 May 2016). "Osvaldo Castro: El genio de la pata bendita" (in Spanish). La Tercera. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ "CAMPEONATO NACIONAL 1970 - TORNEO PROVINCIAL". www.solofutbol.cl (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 November 2025.
- ^ Reyes, Luis (17 April 2021). "El oculto título que Deportes Concepción ganó en Primera". Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 November 2025.
- ^ "Osvaldo Castro". Partidos de La Roja (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 November 2025.
- ^ "GOLEADORES CAMPEONATO NACIONAL 1970". www.solofutbol.cl (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 November 2025.
- ^ "Liga MX: ¿Quiénes han sido todos los campeones de goleo en la historia del futbol mexicano?". www.record.com.mx (in Spanish). 9 November 2025. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
- ^ "Mexico - List of Topscorers". www.rsssf.org. 24 July 2025. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
- ^ Morales, Italo (12 November 2025). ""Jugué hasta los 36 años, salí cinco veces campeón en Chile y también en México... Este trofeo lo voy a cuidar como oro"". Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 November 2025.
External links
- Osvaldo Castro at PartidosdeLaRoja (in Spanish)