Luc Castaignos
Encyclopedia
Luc Castaignos is a Dutch
footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A
club Inter Milan
and for the Netherlands U19. He is the all-time top scorer of the Netherlands U-17 national team
. As a player he has drawn comparisons to Thierry Henry
.
in the south-west of France
. There, Castaignos' father, the born Frenchman Jean Luc Castaignos, met Castaignos' mother who is of Cape Verde
an descent and holder of an Italian
passport. In October 1990, two years before Luc's birth, the family moved to the Netherlands
.
Castaignos was born in Schiedam
, South Holland
, the Netherlands. There he grew up in a problematic neighbourhood with a high percentage of immigrant population. Thanks to his football career and the big influence of his parents, Castaignos managed to stay out of the day to day trouble.
club. His former Excelsior '20 coach, Paul Benschop, was soon convinced by Castaignos' quality: "Everyone could see how much potential he had. Whenever we conceded a goal, Luc would take care of business." At the age of 13, Castaignos participated on regional club Spartaan '20's opening day. The club from Rotterdam, youth partner of Feyenoord, saw plenty of potential in the youngster and invited him to join. Castaignos only played one season for Spartaan '20. When various professional clubs showed their interest, Spartaan '20 warned Feyenoord.
At the age of 14, Castaignos joined the Feyenoord Academy
in the summer of 2007. On October 30, 2008, Castaignos signed his first professional contract with Feyenoord keeping him at De Kuip until summer 2011 with an option for another 2 seasons.
, a clutch of sides were linked to the Dutch youngster. Besides Arsenal
, also Liverpool
, Manchester United
, Real Madrid
, Internazionale
, Bayern Munich
and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim showed their interest in the Feyenoord top scorer. However, on July 22, 2009, Castaignos crushed all rumours and told Feyenoord manager Mario Been
and technical advisor Leo Beenhakker
he wanted to stay in Rotterdam.
On June 21, 2009, Been announced he invited Castaignos to train with the first team squad a few times a week. On August 13, 2009, Castaignos trained with the first team squad for the first time. Castaignos made his official debut in Feyenoord's first team on September 24, 2009 replacing Leroy Fer
in the 72nd minute in the KNVB Cup
away match against Harkemase Boys (0–5).
Castaignos Scored his first goal in Serie A in an away match to Siena on November 27, 2011, latching on to Thiago Motta’s through ball before firing low past Brkic.
Castaignos' international fame started to rise after the 2009 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship
in Germany
. The Dutch team, aided by a strong contingent of seven Feyenoord players in the squad, finished second after losing the final to Germany U17 in extra-time (2–1). Castaignos was considered one of the key players in the team, picked up the tournament's top scorer award alongside Lennart Thy
and was mentioned in the team of the tournament. With 13 goals, Castaignos is the all-time top scorer of the Netherlands U17.
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Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
club Inter Milan
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
and for the Netherlands U19. He is the all-time top scorer of the Netherlands U-17 national team
Netherlands national under-17 football team
The Netherlands national under-17 football team represents Netherlands in international football at this age level and is controlled by the Koninklijke Nederlandse Voetbalbond — KNVB, the governing body for football in Netherlands...
. As a player he has drawn comparisons to Thierry Henry
Thierry Henry
Thierry Daniel Henry is a French professional footballer who plays for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.Henry was born in Les Ulis, Essonne where he played for an array of local sides as a youngster and showed great promise as a goal-scorer. He was spotted by AS Monaco in 1990 and...
.
Early years
The roots of Castaignos' family are located in Les Landes, one hundred kilometers below BordeauxBordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
in the south-west of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. There, Castaignos' father, the born Frenchman Jean Luc Castaignos, met Castaignos' mother who is of Cape Verde
Cape Verde
The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa...
an descent and holder of an Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
passport. In October 1990, two years before Luc's birth, the family moved to the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
Castaignos was born in Schiedam
Schiedam
Schiedam is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. It is part of the Rotterdam metropolitan area. The city is located west of Rotterdam, east of Vlaardingen and south of Delft...
, South Holland
South Holland
South Holland is a province situated on the North Sea in the western part of the Netherlands. The provincial capital is The Hague and its largest city is Rotterdam.South Holland is one of the most densely populated and industrialised areas in the world...
, the Netherlands. There he grew up in a problematic neighbourhood with a high percentage of immigrant population. Thanks to his football career and the big influence of his parents, Castaignos managed to stay out of the day to day trouble.
Youth career
Castaignos started his youth career at the local Schiedam club Excelsior '20. The youngster lived close to Sportpark Thurlede, the home ground of the CatholicCatholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
club. His former Excelsior '20 coach, Paul Benschop, was soon convinced by Castaignos' quality: "Everyone could see how much potential he had. Whenever we conceded a goal, Luc would take care of business." At the age of 13, Castaignos participated on regional club Spartaan '20's opening day. The club from Rotterdam, youth partner of Feyenoord, saw plenty of potential in the youngster and invited him to join. Castaignos only played one season for Spartaan '20. When various professional clubs showed their interest, Spartaan '20 warned Feyenoord.
At the age of 14, Castaignos joined the Feyenoord Academy
Feyenoord Academy (Varkenoord)
Feyenoord Academy, often referred to as Varkenoord, is the joint academy of the professional football clubs Feyenoord and Excelsior located in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The academy is a result of the extensive partnership between the two Rotterdam clubs...
in the summer of 2007. On October 30, 2008, Castaignos signed his first professional contract with Feyenoord keeping him at De Kuip until summer 2011 with an option for another 2 seasons.
Feyenoord (2009–2011)
After a successful performance with the Netherlands U17 at the 2009 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship2009 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship
- Group B :--------------------- Semi-finals :----- Final :- References :**...
, a clutch of sides were linked to the Dutch youngster. Besides Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
, also Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
, Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
, Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
, Internazionale
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
, Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich , is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional football team, which is the most successful football club in Germany, having won 22 national titles and 15 cups....
and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim showed their interest in the Feyenoord top scorer. However, on July 22, 2009, Castaignos crushed all rumours and told Feyenoord manager Mario Been
Mario Been
Mario Been is a former football professional and football manager from the Netherlands, who is currently the head coach of Genk since 30 August 2011....
and technical advisor Leo Beenhakker
Leo Beenhakker
Leo Beenhakker is an international Dutch football coach, who is the current Sports Director of Újpest FC.- Coaching career :...
he wanted to stay in Rotterdam.
On June 21, 2009, Been announced he invited Castaignos to train with the first team squad a few times a week. On August 13, 2009, Castaignos trained with the first team squad for the first time. Castaignos made his official debut in Feyenoord's first team on September 24, 2009 replacing Leroy Fer
Leroy Fer
Leroy Johan Fer is a Dutch footballer who currently plays as a central midfielder for Dutch Eredivisie club FC Twente and the Netherlands U21....
in the 72nd minute in the KNVB Cup
KNVB Cup
The KNVB Cup is a competition in the Netherlands organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association since 1899. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Outside of the Netherlands, it is often referred to as the Dutch Cup...
away match against Harkemase Boys (0–5).
Inter
On March 4, it was announced that Castaignos would be joining Inter Milan after finishing the 2010–2011 season. He featured throughout preseason, most notably scoring the opening goal in a friendly against Celtic on July 30, 2011.Castaignos Scored his first goal in Serie A in an away match to Siena on November 27, 2011, latching on to Thiago Motta’s through ball before firing low past Brkic.
Netherlands U17
At the age of 15 Castaignos made his first international appearance on September 18, 2008 in a friendly match of the Netherlands U17 against Spain U17 (0–0).Castaignos' international fame started to rise after the 2009 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship
2009 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship
- Group B :--------------------- Semi-finals :----- Final :- References :**...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The Dutch team, aided by a strong contingent of seven Feyenoord players in the squad, finished second after losing the final to Germany U17 in extra-time (2–1). Castaignos was considered one of the key players in the team, picked up the tournament's top scorer award alongside Lennart Thy
Lennart Thy
Lennart Thy is a German footballer who plays for Werder Bremen.-External links:...
and was mentioned in the team of the tournament. With 13 goals, Castaignos is the all-time top scorer of the Netherlands U17.
Statistics
|-|2009–10||rowspan="2"|Feyenoord||rowspan="2"|Eredivisie
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
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Country
- NetherlandsNetherlands national football teamThe Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
:- UEFA European Under-17 Football ChampionshipUEFA European Under-17 Football ChampionshipThe UEFA U-17 Championship is an annual football competition organised by the sport's European governing body, UEFA. From 1982 to 2001 it was an Under-16 event.This meeting serves as a preliminary competition for the FIFA U-17 World Cup every other year....
: 20092009 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship- Group B :--------------------- Semi-finals :----- Final :- References :**...
(runner-up)
- UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship
Individual
- UEFA European Under-17 Football ChampionshipUEFA European Under-17 Football ChampionshipThe UEFA U-17 Championship is an annual football competition organised by the sport's European governing body, UEFA. From 1982 to 2001 it was an Under-16 event.This meeting serves as a preliminary competition for the FIFA U-17 World Cup every other year....
: Top Scorer 2009 - All-time Netherlands U-17Netherlands national under-17 football teamThe Netherlands national under-17 football team represents Netherlands in international football at this age level and is controlled by the Koninklijke Nederlandse Voetbalbond — KNVB, the governing body for football in Netherlands...
Top Scorer
External links
- Official Luc Castaignos profile on Feyenoord.nl
- Kameraadjes Club: Luc Castaignos
- Voetbal InternationalVoetbal InternationalVoetbal International is a Dutch football magazine, which has been publishing since 1965. It is the oldest Dutch football magazine that is still running....
: Luc Castaignos - Luc Castaignos Profile on FR-Fanatic Fansite