He was supposed to be Mexico National Team best striker, but he failed and now sells fish to survive

Every Mexico National Team follower remembers the 2007 Copa América game against Brazil, after Nery Castillo chipped the defenders to score one of the most beautiful goals for El Tri in recent years. That might have been his brightest moment with Mexico as people don’t seem to remember much after that.

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He was born in San Luis Potosi when his father played in Liga MX, but at the age of 2 he moved back to Uruguay, where he started his soccer career. Nery Castillo never got to play in Uruguay, as he jumped to European soccer before turning 18, debuting with Olympiakos FC in the Greek league.

Back in the day he also was the most expensive Mexican player in the market, as he was transferred to FK Shakhtar Donetsk for $20 million. But that happened a long time ago, as he now, retired, is the owner of a sport fishing store called Nery’s Fishing in Greece, where he lives.

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Nery Castillo’s numbers with Mexico National Team

Although Nery Castillo had a prolific career in Europe -he’s a 7-time Greek League winner- his stint with El Tri was short and unsuccessful, as he only played 21 games wearing Mexico’s colors. He was able to score 6 goals -four of them in 2007 Copa América- and assist on 2 occasions.