Cristian Gamboa facts for kids
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Gamboa with Costa Rica at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Cristian Esteban Gamboa Luna | ||
| Date of birth | 24 October 1989 | ||
| Place of birth | Liberia, Costa Rica | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Right-back | ||
| Team information | |||
|
Current team
|
VfL Bochum | ||
| Number | 2 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2006–2010 | Municipal Liberia | 68 | (0) |
| 2010–2011 | Fredrikstad | 27 | (1) |
| 2011–2012 | Copenhagen | 0 | (0) |
| 2012 | → Rosenborg (loan) | 10 | (0) |
| 2013–2014 | Rosenborg | 30 | (0) |
| 2014–2016 | West Bromwich Albion | 11 | (0) |
| 2016–2019 | Celtic | 20 | (0) |
| 2019– | VfL Bochum | 124 | (3) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2010–2020 | Costa Rica | 78 | (3) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 7 December 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 13 November 2020 |
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Cristian Esteban Gamboa Luna (born 24 October 1989) is a professional footballer from Costa Rica. He is known as Cristian Gamboa. He plays as a right-back for the Bundesliga club VfL Bochum.
Gamboa also plays for the Costa Rica national team. He was part of the team that reached the quarter-finals in the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Contents
Cristian Gamboa: A Football Star
His Journey in Club Football
Early Days and First Steps Abroad
Cristian Gamboa was born in Liberia, Costa Rica. When he was 15, some big Costa Rican clubs like Saprissa and Alajuelense thought he wasn't good enough. But he didn't give up!
He started his career in the 2006–2007 season. He played for his hometown club, Municipal Liberia. After a few years, he moved to Europe.
Playing in Norway and Denmark
In the summer of 2010, Gamboa joined the Norwegian team Fredrikstad. He played there for two seasons. Then, in the summer of 2011, he moved to Copenhagen in Denmark. He played his first game for Copenhagen in a UEFA Europa League match.
In August 2012, Gamboa went on loan to another Norwegian club, Rosenborg. He played his first game for them on 3 September 2012. He did so well in his first ten games that Rosenborg decided to sign him permanently. He signed a five-year contract with them.
Time in England with West Brom
In July 2014, Gamboa moved to England. He joined Premier League club West Bromwich Albion. The team paid about £2 million for him. Getting a work permit was a bit tricky. This is a special permission needed for players from outside the UK. But he got it approved on 5 August and signed a three-year deal.
He played his first game for West Brom on 26 August 2014. It was a League Cup match. A few days later, he played his first league game. He made his first start in a league game on 4 October against Liverpool. Even though they lost, people said he played very well. However, this was his only league start that season. He didn't play much after a new manager, Tony Pulis, took over.
In his second season in England, Gamboa still found it hard to get a regular spot. He played only two games early on. He then didn't play for five months. He returned to the team in February 2016 for an FA Cup game.
Winning Trophies in Scotland
On 30 August 2016, Gamboa moved to Scotland. He signed a three-year deal with Scottish Premiership club Celtic. At Celtic, he was part of a very successful team.
Back to Germany with VfL Bochum
On 27 August 2019, Gamboa joined VfL Bochum in Germany. He signed a two-year deal with them. In the 2022 season, he even scored a goal in a big 4-2 win against FC Bayern Munich.
Playing for His Country: Costa Rica
Youth and Senior Team Debuts
Cristian Gamboa has played for Costa Rica at different levels. He was part of the Costa Rica team that finished fourth in the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
He made his first appearance for the senior Costa Rica national football team in January 2010. This was in a friendly match against Argentina. Gamboa scored his first goal for his country in October 2012. It was a World Cup qualifier against Guyana. Costa Rica won that game 7–0.
World Cup Adventures
Gamboa was chosen to play for Costa Rica in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. This was a huge event in Brazil. He played in all five of Costa Rica's games. The team did amazingly well, reaching the quarter-finals! They were eventually knocked out by the Netherlands after a penalty shootout.
In May 2018, he was again selected for Costa Rica's 23-man squad. This was for the 2018 FIFA World Cup held in Russia.
Off the Pitch
Cristian Gamboa is married to Melissa Salazar. They have three children together: Felipe, Julián, and Bruna.
What He's Won
Cristian Gamboa has won many awards and trophies with his clubs and national team:
- Municipal Liberia
- Costa Rican Primera División: Clausura 2009
- Copenhagen
- Danish Cup: 2011–12
- Celtic
- Scottish Premiership: 2016–17, 2017–18
- Scottish League Cup: 2016–17, 2018–19
- Scottish Cup: 2016–17
- VfL Bochum
- 2. Bundesliga: 2020–21
- Costa Rica
- CONCACAF Gold Cup: Bronze-medal 2017
- Copa Centroamericana: Runner-up 2011
- FIFA U-20 World Cup: Fourth-place 2009
- CONCACAF U-20 Championship: 2009
- Individual
- CONCACAF Best XI: 2017
See also
In Spanish: Cristian Gamboa para niños
