Gonzalo Castro Irizábal

Early years and Mallorca

Born in Trinidad, Flores Department, Castro was a product of Club Nacional de Football's youth ranks. He made his professional debut on 13 July 2002 in a 3–1 win over Central Español, going on to become an important first-team member and helping them to two Uruguayan Primera División titles while finishing in the scorer charts' top three in the 2005–06 season. On 7 August 2007, Castro signed a five-year contract with La Liga club RCD Mallorca. Rarely used in his first year, the same occurred in the 2008–09 campaign; however, during a week in March 2009, he managed to score in a 1–1 home draw against FC Barcelona in the Copa del Rey, adding a brace in a league 3–3 home draw with Real Betis after coming from the bench as the Balearic Islands team trailed 2–0 (and eventually 3–0). In 2009–10, Castro finally beat competition from veteran Fernando Varela, starting most of the campaign and scoring six goals in 35 matches as Mallorca finished fifth and qualified for the UEFA Europa League (fourth until the last minute of the last matchday). On 23 October 2010 he netted twice at Valencia CF in a 2–1 victory, opening the score with a seventh-minute penalty kick; he scored five times in 33 games during that season, helping his team barely avoid relegation.

Real Sociedad

After leaving Mallorca in May 2012, Castro continued competing in the Spanish top flight, joining Real Sociedad for four years as a free agent. On 19 January 2013, he scored…

Castro made his debut for Uruguay on 17 August 2005, playing the first half of a friendly against Spain in Gijón. He was selected for a provisional squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup by coach Óscar Tabárez, but eventually did not make the final cut.

Castro's younger sister, Juliana, was also a footballer. A striker, she played for several clubs in her career including the Missouri Valley College in the United States, and also represented the Uruguay national team.

Nacional

Uruguayan Primera División: 2002, 2005, 2005–06