Celso Borges facts for kids
Borges with Costa Rica at the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup
|
|||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Celso Borges Mora | ||
| Date of birth | 27 May 1988 | ||
| Place of birth | San José, Costa Rica | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
|
Current team
|
Alajuelense | ||
| Number | 5 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Saprissa | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2006–2009 | Saprissa | 86 | (7) |
| 2009–2012 | Fredrikstad FK | 76 | (34) |
| 2012–2015 | AIK | 79 | (26) |
| 2015 | → Deportivo La Coruña (loan) | 17 | (4) |
| 2015–2018 | Deportivo La Coruña | 90 | (12) |
| 2018–2020 | Göztepe | 53 | (2) |
| 2020–2021 | Deportivo La Coruña | 20 | (2) |
| 2021– | Alajuelense | 74 | (4) |
| International career | |||
| 2005 | Costa Rica U17 | 4 | (1) |
| 2007 | Costa Rica U20 | 3 | (0) |
| 2008–2023 | Costa Rica | 163 | (27) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17 January 2024 (UTC) | |||
Celso Borges Mora, born on May 27, 1988, is a professional football player from Costa Rica. He plays as a central midfielder for the club Alajuelense. Celso is a very important player for his country, holding the record for the most games played for the Costa Rica national team, with 163 international matches.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Celso Borges was born in San José, the capital city of Costa Rica. His father is Alexandre Guimarães, a famous former football player and coach who was born in Brazil but grew up in Costa Rica.
Celso went to Saint Clare High School, where he also played on the school's football team. His football training and playing for teams outside of Costa Rica often meant he had to take breaks from his studies.
Club Football Journey
Starting with Saprissa
Celso Borges began his professional football career at the age of 18. He made his first official appearance for the club Saprissa on January 15, 2006. During his time with Saprissa, he helped the team win five national championships.
Playing in Norway: Fredrikstad FK
In January 2009, Celso signed with the Norwegian club Fredrikstad FK. He joined the team on July 1, 2009, after his contract with Saprissa ended. Fredrikstad paid Saprissa some money so Celso could join them sooner. He started playing for Fredrikstad when their season began on April 14, against Stabæk. In March 2011, Celso decided he would leave Fredrikstad during or after the 2011 season.
Moving to Sweden: AIK
On January 1, 2012, Celso Borges became a free agent, meaning he could sign with any club without a transfer fee. He signed a three-year contract with the Swedish football club AIK Stockholm.
At AIK, he was given the number 10 jersey, which is often worn by key players. Celso played his first game for AIK on April 1, 2012, against Mjällby AIF. He scored his first goal for the club in the very next game, which was the winning goal against Kalmar FF. For the first part of the season, his coach used him as a striker, playing closer to the opponent's goal. But after the summer break, he moved back to play as a central midfielder, which became his main position. He ended the season as the team's top goal scorer.
Time in Spain: Deportivo La Coruña
On January 14, 2015, Celso Borges joined Deportivo de La Coruña in Spain. He signed a contract until the end of the season, with a chance to extend it for two more years. He had an amazing start, scoring two goals in his very first game for Dépor. This happened in a 2–1 away win against Rayo Vallecano on January 30, which was also his first game in La Liga, Spain's top football league.
Representing Costa Rica
.jpg)
Celso Borges has played a huge role for the Costa Rica national football team. He holds the record for the most games played for his country, with 163 international appearances, and has scored 27 goals. He has played in over 50 FIFA World Cup qualification matches.
He also played in three FIFA World Cup tournaments: 2014, 2018, and 2022 FIFA World Cup. He has also taken part in many other important tournaments like the Copa Centroamericana and the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Youth International Career
Celso played in the 2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship in Peru. He scored a goal in that tournament and was considered one of the best young players to watch for in the future. He also played in the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada.
Senior Team Debut and Key Moments
Celso made his debut for the senior Costa Rican team in June 2008, in a World Cup qualification match against Grenada. In September of the same year, he scored his first international goal against Suriname.
He was a key player during the team's journey to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He also helped Costa Rica finish second in the 2011 Copa Centroamericana and reach the quarter-finals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup that same year.
In June 2014, Celso was chosen for Costa Rica's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. In the round of 16, when Costa Rica played against Greece, the game went to a penalty shootout. Celso was the first of five Costa Rican players to successfully score his penalty, helping his team win 5–3.
In May 2018, he was again named in Costa Rica's 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Life Outside Football
Celso Borges's father is Brazilian, so Celso was also a Brazilian citizen until 2017. He then gave up his Brazilian citizenship to become a Spanish citizen.
Many people consider Celso to be one of the most educated players on the Costa Rica national team. He is known for being smart and speaking clearly. Besides his native Spanish, Celso can also speak English, Portuguese, and Swedish.
He is a big fan of heavy metal music, and his favorite bands include Slipknot, Metallica, Dream Theater, and Killswitch Engage. Celso also plays the drums and has even covered the song "Toxicity" by System of a Down with a musician named Kurt Dyer.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Saprissa | 2005–06 | Costa Rican Primera División | 2 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| 2006–07 | Costa Rican Primera División | 35 | 2 | — | 35 | 2 | ||||
| 2007–08 | Costa Rican Primera División | 25 | 0 | — | 6 | 1 | 31 | 1 | ||
| 2008–09 | Costa Rican Primera División | 24 | 5 | — | 5 | 1 | 29 | 6 | ||
| Total | 86 | 7 | — | 11 | 2 | 97 | 9 | |||
| Fredrikstad FK | 2009 | Tippeligaen | 22 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 25 | 9 |
| 2010 | Adeccoligaen | 29 | 14 | 2 | 1 | — | 31 | 15 | ||
| 2011 | Tippeligaen | 25 | 8 | 5 | 7 | — | 30 | 15 | ||
| Total | 76 | 29 | 9 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 86 | 39 | ||
| AIK | 2012 | Allsvenskan | 29 | 8 | — | 12 | 1 | 41 | 9 | |
| 2013 | Allsvenskan | 24 | 8 | 3 | 0 | — | 27 | 8 | ||
| 2014 | Allsvenskan | 26 | 6 | — | 3 | 0 | 29 | 6 | ||
| Total | 79 | 22 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 97 | 23 | ||
| Deportivo La Coruña (loan) | 2014–15 | La Liga | 17 | 3 | — | 17 | 3 | |||
| Deportivo La Coruña | 2015–16 | La Liga | 24 | 3 | — | — | 24 | 3 | ||
| 2016–17 | La Liga | 34 | 6 | 4 | 0 | — | 38 | 6 | ||
| 2017–18 | La Liga | 32 | 3 | — | — | 32 | 3 | |||
| Total | 107 | 15 | 4 | 0 | — | 111 | 15 | |||
| Göztepe | 2018–19 | Süper Lig | 32 | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | 35 | 2 | |
| 2019–20 | Süper Lig | 21 | 1 | 6 | 0 | — | 27 | 1 | ||
| Total | 53 | 2 | 9 | 1 | — | 62 | 3 | |||
| Deportivo La Coruña | 2020–21 | Segunda División B | 20 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | 22 | 2 | |
| Deportivo total | 127 | 17 | 6 | 0 | — | 133 | 17 | |||
| Career total | 421 | 77 | 27 | 10 | 27 | 4 | 475 | 91 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Costa Rica | 2008 | 7 | 2 |
| 2009 | 15 | 5 | |
| 2010 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 10 | 1 | |
| 2012 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2013 | 20 | 5 | |
| 2014 | 13 | 5 | |
| 2015 | 14 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 11 | 2 | |
| 2017 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 12 | 2 | |
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 15 | 3 | |
| 2022 | 12 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 5 | 0 | |
| Total | 163 | 27 | |
- Scores and results list Costa Rica's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Borges goal (includes unofficial goals scored).
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 6 September 2008 | Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá, San José, Costa Rica |  Suriname |
5–0 | 7–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2. | 11 October 2008 | André Kamperveen Stadion, Paramaribo, Suriname | Suriname |
2–0 | 4–1 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3. | 3 June 2009 | Estádio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá, San José, Costa Rica |  United States |
2–0 | 3–1 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 4. | 6 June 2009 | Dwight Yorke Stadium, Bacolet, Trinidad and Tobago |  Trinidad and Tobago |
2–1 | 3–2 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 5. | 3–2 | |||||
| 6. | 7 July 2009 | Mapfre Stadium, Columbus, United States |  Jamaica |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 7. | 19 July 2009 | AT&T Stadium, Arlington, United States |  Guadeloupe |
1–0 | 5–1 | 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 8. | 21 January 2011 | Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama |  Panama |
1–0 | 1–1 | 2011 Copa Centroamericana |
| 9. | 16 October 2012 | Estadio Nacional, San José, Costa Rica |  Guyana |
6–0 | 7–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 10. | 20 January 2013 | Estadio Nacional, San José, Costa Rica |  Nicaragua |
2–0 | 2–0 | 2013 Copa Centroamericana |
| 11. | 19 June 2013 | Estadio Nacional, San José, Costa Rica | Panama |
2–0 | 2–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 12. | 14 August 2013 | Estadio Quisqueya, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic |  Dominican Republic |
1–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
| 13. | 2–0 | |||||
| 14. | 6 September 2013 | Estadio Nacional, San José, Costa Rica | United States |
2–0 | 3–1 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 15. | 6 June 2014 | PPL Park, Chester, United States |  Republic of Ireland |
1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 16. | 3 September 2014 | Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, Washington D.C., United States | Nicaragua |
1–0 | 3–0 | 2014 Copa Centroamericana |
| 17. | 7 September 2014 | Cotton Bowl, Dallas, United States | Panama |
1–2 | 2–2 | 2014 Copa Centroamericana |
| 18. | 14 October 2014 | Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul, South Korea |  South Korea |
1–0 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 19. | 2–1 | |||||
| 20. | 29 March 2016 | Estadio Nacional, San José, Costa Rica | Jamaica |
1–0 | 3–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 21. | 11 June 2016 | NRG Stadium, Houston, United States |  Colombia |
3–1 | 3–2 | Copa América Centenario |
| 22. | 16 June 2019 | Estadio Nacional, San José, Costa Rica | Nicaragua |
2–0 | 4–0 | 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 23. | 6 September 2019 | Estadio Nacional, San José, Costa Rica |  Uruguay |
1–1 | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 24. | 12 July 2021 | Exploria Stadium, Orlando, United States | Guadeloupe |
3–1 | 3–1 | 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 25. | 16 July 2021 | Exploria Stadium, Orlando, United States | Suriname |
2–1 | 2–1 | 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 26. | 10 October 2021 | Estadio Nacional, San José, Costa Rica |  El Salvador |
2–1 | 2–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 27. | 24 March 2022 | Estadio Nacional, San José, Costa Rica |  Canada |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Football Achievements
Deportivo Saprissa
- Primera División de Costa Rica: Apertura 2005, Clausura 2006, Apertura 2006, Clausura 2007, Apertura 2007, Clausura 2008, Apertura 2008
Alajuelense
- CONCACAF Central American Cup: 2023, 2024
Costa Rica National Team
- Copa Centroamericana: 2013, 2014
Individual Awards
- CONCACAF Gold Cup All-Tournament Team: 2009
- CONCACAF Gold Cup Best XI: 2021
See also
In Spanish: Celso Borges para niños
- List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
