Romeo Castelen facts for kids
Castelen in training with Feyenoord in 2007
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Romeo Erwan Marius Castelen | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 3 May 1983 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Paramaribo, Suriname | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | |||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Winger | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1993–1997 | De Volewijckers | |||||||||||||||
| 1997–1998 | Sparta Rotterdam | |||||||||||||||
| 1998–2000 | ADO Den Haag | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||
| 2000–2004 | ADO Den Haag | 83 | (20) | |||||||||||||
| 2004–2007 | Feyenoord | 65 | (20) | |||||||||||||
| 2007–2012 | Hamburger SV | 17 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2009–2011 | Hamburger SV II | 5 | (5) | |||||||||||||
| 2013 | Volga Nizhny Novgorod | 2 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | RKC | 29 | (6) | |||||||||||||
| 2014–2016 | Western Sydney Wanderers | 44 | (9) | |||||||||||||
| 2016 | Suwon Bluewings | 5 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2017 | Zhejiang Yiteng | 23 | (3) | |||||||||||||
| 2018 | VVV-Venlo | 14 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| Total | 287 | (64) | ||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2007 | Netherlands | 10 | (1) | |||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||
Romeo Erwan Marius Castelen (born on May 3, 1983) is a Dutch former footballer. He was known for playing as a right winger.
Contents
Playing for Clubs
Starting at ADO Den Haag
Romeo Castelen was born in Paramaribo, Suriname. He began his professional football journey with ADO Den Haag. He played two full seasons in the Eerste Divisie, which is the second division of Dutch football.
He made his first team debut before he turned 18. In the 2002–03 Eerste Divisie season, he scored nine goals in 24 games. His team, ADO Den Haag, won the championship and moved up to the Eredivisie, the top Dutch league.
Castelen played his first game in the top league on August 16, 2003. It was an away match against RKC Waalwijk, which his team lost 0–1. During the 2003–04 Eredivisie season, he played almost every game. His team finished 15th, just avoiding being sent back down to the lower league.
Time with Feyenoord
For the 2004–05 Eredivisie season, Castelen joined Feyenoord. He made a great start, scoring two goals in his first game on August 15, which Feyenoord won 6–1 against De Graafschap. In his first two years with the Rotterdam club, he scored 19 goals. Feyenoord finished fourth and then third in the league during those seasons.
Castelen was part of a strong attacking trio at Feyenoord, alongside Salomon Kalou and Dirk Kuyt. However, in his second year, he only played 23 matches because of an injury.
In the 2006–07 Eredivisie season, Castelen played only 12 league games. This was due to an ankle injury. He scored his only goal of that season on April 22, 2007, in a 1–1 home draw against NEC Nijmegen. Feyenoord finished seventh that year.
Moving to Hamburger SV
Castelen was fit again before the 2007–08 Eredivisie season began. His contract with Feyenoord was ending soon. He was offered a new deal but decided not to sign it. He felt his future at the club was uncertain because of their recent results.
However, when new players like Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Kevin Hofland, and Roy Makaay joined, he thought about staying. But in July 2007, he agreed to join Hamburger SV in Germany. He signed a four-year contract. Overall, he played 79 official games for Feyenoord and scored 21 goals.
Castelen played his first Bundesliga game on August 11, 2007. He played for seven minutes in a 1–0 away win against Hannover 96. During his time at the Volksparkstadion, he had many injury problems. His contract was not renewed, and he left the club in June 2012.
Later Career Years
After almost a year without playing football, Castelen signed with Russian Premier League team FC Volga Nizhny Novgorod on February 15, 2013. He left the club at the end of the 2012–13 Russian Premier League season.
On July 3, 2013, Castelen returned to the Netherlands and its top league. He joined RKC. About a year later, he signed a two-year contract with A-League club Western Sydney Wanderers FC in Australia. He played for his new team in the 2014 FIFA Club World Cup. He scored the first goal against ES Sétif in the fifth-place match. The game ended in a 2–2 draw and his team lost in a penalty shootout.
In the 2015–16 A-League season, Castelen scored seven goals. Three of these goals came in the semi-finals, helping his team win 5–4 in extra time against Brisbane Roar FC. However, he left the club on May 5, 2016.
On July 14, 2016, Castelen joined K-League Classic team Suwon Samsung Bluewings in South Korea. In January 2018, he returned to the Netherlands and joined VVV-Venlo. He played his first game for them against his former club, Den Haag. He stopped playing professional football later that year. Since then, he has worked as an agent, helping players like Evert Linthorst and Simon Janssen.
Playing for His Country
Castelen's strong start with Feyenoord caught the eye of the new Dutch national team manager, Marco van Basten. Castelen made his debut for the Dutch team, often called Oranje, on August 18, 2004. He started in a 2–2 friendly draw against Sweden. However, his injuries meant he could not join the squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Also in 2006, Castelen helped the Dutch under-21 team win the UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Portugal.
Personal Life
In 1989, Romeo Castelen experienced a very sad event. Both his mother and sister passed away in the Surinam Airways Flight PY764 plane crash. This accident also tragically took the lives of 15 Surinamese footballers.
Honours and Achievements
Club Success
Den Haag
- Won the Eerste Divisie championship in 2002–03 Eerste Divisie.
Country Success
- Won the UEFA European Under-21 Championship in 2006.
See also
In Spanish: Romeo Castelen para niños
