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.
Career Castro started his career Chilean club Unión La Calera in 1965, before joining Deportes Concepción. 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. 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.Castro's Mexican career stats at mediotiempo
He played for the Chile national team on four occasions during the 1978 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.FIFA Profile
Following his retirement, he has worked as coach for the Pumas UNAM youth ranks.
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. In addition, Castro worked for the American football team Los Angeles Rams, helping players to develop strong shoots.
Personal life His nickname was Pata Bendita (Blessed Foot) since he was a young player, due to his strong shoots.
Honours Deportes Concepción : 1970 : 1970
América Copa México:
Chile Copa del Pacífico: 1971
Individual Primera División de Chile Top Goalscorer: 1970 Chilean Footballer of the Year: 1970 Primera División de México Top Goalscorer: 1973–74 Copa México Top Goalscorer: Soccer Hall of Fame: 2025
References
External links Osvaldo Castro at PartidosdeLaRoja