Niklas Castro

Niklas Fernando Nygård Castro (born 8 January 1996) is a football forward who currently plays for Brann. Born in Norway, Castro represents the Chile national team.

Niklas Castro
Niklas Castro with Brann in 2023
Personal information
Full name Niklas Fernando Nygård Castro[1]
Date of birth (1996-01-08) 8 January 1996
Place of birth Oslo, Norway[2]
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)[3]
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Brann
Number 9
Youth career
Manglerud Star
Vålerenga
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2017 Vålerenga 9 (0)
2017–2018 Kongsvinger 53 (22)
2019–2022 Aalesund 73 (28)
2022– Brann 41 (15)
International career‡
2020– Chile 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 4 September 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 13 November 2020

Club career

He played youth football for Manglerud Star.[4] Ahead of the 2016 he was drafted into the senior team of first-tier club Vålerenga. He made his Norwegian top division debut in April 2016 against Stabæk.

Already on 15 June 2018, Castro signed with Aalesund for the 2019 season. The contract was until 2021.[5]

International career

Due to his Chilean heritage, on 3 October 2019, Castro was officially called up to the Chile national team for the friendly matches against Colombia and Guinea.[6] Since he did not have Chilean nationality at the time, he was included in the squad as a "special guest" according to manager Reinaldo Rueda.[7]

On 27 February 2020, it was confirmed Castro officially acquired the Chilean nationality and may be called up to the national team according to Ambassador of Chile to Norway, Waldemar Coutts.[8][9] So, in November 2020, he received his first official call up to the Chile senior team for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers against Peru and Venezuela,[10] making his international debut in the first match at the minute 83 by replacing Mauricio Isla.[11]

Personal life

His father, Miguel, is a Chilean who came to Norway in 1994 and his mother, Anne, is Norwegian. He has a sister, Lene, and a brother, Fabian.[12] His paternal grandfather, Óscar Castro, was a football referee who involved Niklas' uncles in football and then Niklas.[13]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 24 August 2023[14]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup Continental Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Vålerenga 2016 Tippeligaen 9041-131
Total 9041--131
Kongsvinger 2017 OBOS-ligaen 251233-2815
2018 281022-3012
Total 532255--5827
Aalesund 2019 OBOS-ligaen 241733-2720
2020 Eliteserien 24400-244
2021 OBOS-ligaen 25720-277
Total 732853--7831
Brann 2022 OBOS-ligaen 291122-3113
2023 Eliteserien 1142031165
Total 401542314718
Career total 1756518113119677

References
  1. Niklas Fernando Nygård Castro - Player Profile - Football - Eurosport, eurosport.com
  2. "AaFK-spiller ble tatt ut på Chiles landslag, men kan ikke spille kamper" (in Norwegian). Aftenposten. 12 October 2019. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  3. "Profile". Archived from the original on 21 September 2016. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  4. Granerød, Thomas (21 October 2010). "Oppsals gullgutter. Slo Manglerud Star i finalen i KM". Nordstrands Blad (in Norwegian). p. 35.
  5. Castro klar for AaFK, 15 June 2018
  6. "Nómina de la Selección Chilena Adulta para enfrentar a Colombia y Guinea en España" [Squad of the Chile national team to play against Colombia and Guinea in Spain] (in Spanish). laroja.cl. 3 October 2019. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  7. "Rueda sobre el chileno-noruego Niklas Castro: Es un invitado especial" [Rueda about Chilean-Norwegian Niklas Castro: "He is a special guest"] (in Spanish). cooperativa.cl. 5 October 2019. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  8. "Niklas Castro recibe la nacionalidad chilena y puede ser citado a la Roja" [Niklas Castro acquires Chilean nationality and may be called up to The Red One] (in Spanish). cdf.cl. 27 February 2020. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  9. "Efectivamente @pabloramosg, Niklas Castro tiene nuestra nacionalidad" [In fact @pabloramosg, Niklas Castro gets our nationality] (in Spanish). @ErnestoWcoutts. 27 February 2020. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
  10. "Nómina de la Selección Chilena para los duelos por Eliminatorias ante Perú y Venezuela" [Chile squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Peru and Venezuela] (in Spanish). LaRoja.cl. 6 November 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  11. CHILE 2-0 PERU
  12. Vega, Diego (7 October 2019). "Un viaje a la infancia de Niklas, el niño noruego que soñaba con la Roja". AS Chile (in Spanish). Diario AS. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  13. Vega, Diego (11 November 2020). "La sorpresa que Niklas Castro encontró en Chile tras 19 años" (in Spanish). AS Chile. Retrieved 19 October 2021. Él está cumpliendo el sueño de la familia, porque nuestro abuelo (Óscar Castro) fue árbitro. Él le enseñó jugar a mis dos tíos, y después le traspasó a Niklas.
  14. "Niklas Castro". altomfotball.no (in Norwegian). TV 2. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
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