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Cristian Gamboa
Cristian Gamboa 2018 (cropped).jpg
Gamboa with Costa Rica at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
Personal information
Full name Cristian Esteban Gamboa Luna
Date of birth (1989-10-24) 24 October 1989 (age 35)
Place of birth Liberia, Costa Rica
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Right-back
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)
2019–2025 VfL Bochum 131 (3)
Total 297 (4)
International career
2010–2020 Costa Rica 78 (3)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal family name is Gamboa and the second or maternal family name is Luna.

Cristian Esteban Gamboa Luna, born on October 24, 1989, is a former professional footballer from Costa Rica. He played as a right-back, which is a defensive position on the field.

Cristian Gamboa was also a key player for the Costa Rica national football team. He proudly represented his country in many big tournaments. These included the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He also played in several CONCACAF Gold Cups and the Copa América. He retired from professional football in May 2025.

Playing for Clubs: Cristian Gamboa's Journey

Cristian Gamboa was born in Liberia, Costa Rica. When he was 15, some big Costa Rican clubs did not think he was good enough. But he did not give up on his dream.

Starting in Costa Rica and Moving to Europe

Gamboa began his career in the 2006–2007 season. He played for his hometown club, Municipal Liberia. After a few years, he moved to Europe in the summer of 2010. He joined a Norwegian team called Fredrikstad. He played there for about a year.

In the summer of 2011, he moved to Copenhagen in Denmark. He made his first appearance for Copenhagen in a UEFA Europa League match.

Playing in Norway: Rosenborg BK

In August 2012, Gamboa joined Rosenborg in Norway. He first joined on a three-month loan. He played his first game for them on September 3, 2012. Rosenborg won that game 2–0.

He played very well in his first ten games. Because of his strong performance, Rosenborg offered him a permanent deal. He signed a five-year contract with the club.

Time in England: West Bromwich Albion

In July 2014, Gamboa moved to England. He signed with Premier League club West Bromwich Albion. The team paid about £2 million for him. It took some time to get his work permit approved.

He played his first game for West Bromwich Albion on August 26, 2014. It was a League Cup match. A few days later, he made his league debut. He started his first league game on October 4 against Liverpool. Even though his team lost, he played very well.

However, he did not get to play much after that. A new manager, Tony Pulis, joined the team. Gamboa struggled to get a regular spot in the starting lineup. In his second season, he played only a few games.

Success in Scotland: Celtic F.C.

On August 30, 2016, Gamboa signed a three-year deal with Celtic. Celtic is a big club in the Scottish Premiership. He was part of Celtic's amazing 2016–17 season. In that season, the team won every game in the league, which is called an "invincible season."

Final Club: VfL Bochum

On August 27, 2019, Gamboa joined VfL Bochum in Germany. He signed a two-year deal with them. On February 12, 2022, he scored a goal in a big 4–2 win against Bayern Munich.

On May 8, 2025, VfL Bochum announced that Gamboa would leave the club. After leaving Bochum, he retired from professional football. He played for 19 years and appeared in over 370 games for his clubs and country.

Playing for His Country: Costa Rica

Cristian Gamboa also had a great career playing for his home country. He played for the Costa Rica national football team.

Youth and Senior Team Debuts

He played in the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup for Costa Rica's youth team. They finished in fourth place in that tournament.

He made his first appearance for the senior Costa Rica national team in January 2010. This was in a friendly match against Argentina. Gamboa scored his first goal for Costa Rica in October 2012. It was in a 2014 World Cup qualifier against Guyana. Costa Rica won that game 7–0.

FIFA World Cup Appearances

Gamboa was chosen to play for Costa Rica in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He played in all five of their games. Costa Rica had a fantastic run, 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. He played in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

Cristian Gamboa's Family Life

Cristian Gamboa is married to Melissa Salazar. They have three children together.

Career Statistics

Club Appearances and Goals

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup League cup Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Municipal Liberia 2006-07 Primera División 16 0 0 0 – – – 16 0
2007-08 26 0 0 0 – – – 26 0
2008-09 13 0 0 0 – – – 13 0
2009-10 13 0 0 0 – – – 13 0
Total 68 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 68 0
Fredrikstad 2010 Adeccoligaen 11 1 0 0 – – – 3 0 14 1
2011 Tippeligaen 16 0 1 0 – – – – 17 0
Total 27 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 31 1
Copenhagen 2011–12 Superliga 0 0 1 0 – 0 0 – 1 0
2012–13 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Rosenborg 2012 Tippeligaen 10 0 0 0 – 6 0 – 16 0
2013 28 0 2 0 – 4 0 – 34 0
2014 2 0 0 0 – 0 0 – 2 0
Total 40 0 2 0 0 0 10 0 0 0 52 0
West Bromwich Albion 2014–15 Premier League 10 0 1 0 3 0 – – 14 0
2015–16 1 0 1 0 1 0 – – 3 0
Total 11 0 2 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 17 0
Celtic 2016–17 Scottish Premiership 17 0 1 0 1 0 2 0 – 21 0
2017–18 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 – 3 0
2018–19 1 0 0 0 1 0 5 0 – 7 0
Total 20 0 1 0 2 0 8 0 0 0 31 0
VfL Bochum 2019–20 2. Bundesliga 26 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 – 26 1
2020–21 2. Bundesliga 29 0 3 0 – – – 32 0
2021–22 Bundesliga 23 1 4 0 – – – 27 1
2022–23 Bundesliga 19 0 2 0 – – – 21 0
2023–24 Bundesliga 22 0 1 0 – – 0 0 23 0
2024–25 Bundesliga 11 1 0 0 – – 0 0 11 1
Total 130 3 10 0 – – 0 0 140 3
Career Total 296 4 17 0 6 0 18 0 3 0 340 4

International Appearances and Goals

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Costa Rica 2010 4 0
2011 4 0
2012 3 1
2013 11 0
2014 10 0
2015 12 1
2016 7 1
2017 11 0
2018 11 0
2019 4 0
2020 1 0
Total 78 3
Scores and results list Costa Rica's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Gamboa goal.
List of international goals scored by Cristian Gamboa
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 16 October 2012 Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica, San José  Guyana 2–0 7–0 2014 World Cup qualifier
2 13 November 2015 Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica, San José  Haiti 1–0 1–0 2018 World Cup qualifier
3 28 May 2016 Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica, San José  Venezuela 2–1 2–1 Friendly

Awards and Trophies: Cristian Gamboa's Honours

Cristian Gamboa won many awards and trophies during his football career.

Club Honours

  • Municipal Liberia
  • Copenhagen
    • Danish Cup: 2011–12 (a cup competition)
  • Celtic
    • Scottish Premiership: 2016–17, 2017–18 (league championships)
    • Scottish League Cup: 2016–17, 2018–19 (a league cup)
    • Scottish Cup: 2016–17 (a cup competition)
  • VfL Bochum

International Honours

  • Costa Rica

Individual Awards

  • CONCACAF Best XI: 2017 (chosen as one of the best players in the CONCACAF region)

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Cristian Gamboa para niños

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