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Giancarlo González
	González with Costa Rica at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
Personal information
Full name	Giancarlo González Castro
Date of birth	8 February 1988 (age 36)
Place of birth	Desamparados, San José, Costa Rica
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s)	Centre-back
Team information
Current team	Sporting San José
Number	26
Youth career
2004–2006	Alajuelense
Senior career*
Years	Team
2009–2012	Alajuelense
2012–2013	Vålerenga
2014	Columbus Crew
2014–2017	Palermo
2017–2019	Bologna
2019–2021	LA Galaxy
2021	Alajuelense (loan)
2022–2023	→ Alajuelense
2024–	Sporting San José
International career‡
2007–2008	Costa Rica U20
2010–	Costa Rica
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 09:34, 21 March 2022 (UTC); ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20 November 2023

Giancarlo "Pipo" González Castro (born 8 February 1988) is a Costa Rican professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Liga FPD club Sporting San José, which he captains, and the Costa Rica national team.

Club career

Early career

González spent his youth career with Alajuelense, apart from a stint with Saprissa when he was between 12 and 14 years of age.^[3] He began his professional career with Alajuelense in 2007 and was a key player in helping his club win three league titles.

González joined Norwegian club Vålerenga after his contract expired on 31 July 2012.^[4] During his time at Vålerenga, González appeared in 37 league matches and scored two goals.

Columbus Crew

On 21 February 2014, González signed with Major League Soccer side Columbus Crew.^[5] On 15 April 2014, the MLS Disciplinary Committee fined González an undisclosed amount for "embellishment" of an incident in the 92nd minute of the game against the San Jose Earthquakes on 13 April.^[6]^[7] González was also nominated for the satirical "Fallon d'Floor" award for this effort.^[8]^[9]

Palermo

After his performances at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, González received interest from a number of European clubs, and on 26 August 2014 Palermo of Italy's Serie A confirmed they had signed him on a three-year deal.^[10] The transfer fee was reported to be $5 million, with 5% of the fee being distributed among González's youth clubs Alajuelense and Saprissa as per the FIFA solidarity contribution rules.^[3] He made his debut on 19 October 2014 in a home game against Cesena, playing the full 90 minutes and scoring the winning goal in the first minute of injury time.^[11]

Palermo's 2016–17 season ended in relegation from Serie A, with González making 21 appearances.^[12]

Bologna

On 22 June 2017, Bologna announced the signing of González.^[12]^[13]

LA Galaxy

On 11 April 2019, González signed with the LA Galaxy.^[14]

International career

González played at the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup held in Canada.^[15]

Nicknamed Pipo,^[16] he made his senior international debut for Costa Rica in a friendly against Slovakia on 5 June 2010. In January 2013, he scored the lone goal in a 1–0 victory over Honduras in the 2013 Copa Centroamericana final.^[15]

2014 World Cup

In June 2014, González was named in Costa Rica's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.^[17] In the team's first two group matches, he and his central defensive colleagues Michael Umaña and Óscar Duarte allowed only one goal as Los Ticos beat Uruguay (3–1) and Italy (1–0) to qualify for the knockout stage.^[18]^[19] Costa Rica completed the group stage unbeaten, recording a second consecutive shutout in a 0–0 draw with England in Belo Horizonte.^[20] González's play at the back was listed by several as key to the team's progression from the group stage. His countless interceptions and tackles led to him being named to the ESPN Best XI of the group stage.^[21] During the round of 16, González was the third of five Costa Rican players to successfully convert his kick in a 5–3 penalty shootout defeat of Greece.^[22] He was included in the BBC's team of the tournament.^[23]

2018 World Cup

In May 2018 he was named in Costa Rica's 23 man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.^[24]

Personal life

González is of Spanish origin.^[25] He is a son of Roberto González and Elsa Castro and has a sister and brother. He has a son.^[26]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 5 November 2020

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			Cup		Continental		Playoffs		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Alajuelense	2008–09^[27]	Costa Rican Primera División					2	0			2
	2009–10^[27]		28	3							28	3
	2010–11^[27]		34	0			0	0	0	0	34	0
	2011–12^[27]		29	3			6	0	0	0	35	3
	Total		91	6	0	0	8	0	0	0	99	6
Vålerenga	2012^[28]	Tippeligaen	12	0	—		—		—		12	0
	2013^[28]	Tippeligaen	25	2	4	0	—		—		29	2
	Total		37	2	4	0	0	0	0	0	41	2
Columbus Crew	2014^[27]	Major League Soccer	17	1	—		—		—		17	1
Palermo	2014–15^[27]	Serie A	28	1	—		—		—		28	1
	2015–16^[27]		35	2	1	0	—		—		36	1
	2016–17^[27]		21	1	0	0	—		—		21	1
	Total		84	4	1	0	0	0	0	0	85	4
Bologna	2017–18^[27]	Serie A	22	0	1	0	—		—		23	0
	2018–19^[27]	Serie A	12	0	1	0	—		—		13	0
	Total		34	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	36	0
LA Galaxy	2019^[27]	Major League Soccer	20	1	0	0	2	0	2	0	24	1
	2020^[27]	Major League Soccer	10	1	0	0	—		0	0	10	1
	Total		30	2	0	0	2	0	2	0	34	2
Career total			293	15	7	0	10	0	2	0	312	15

International

As of match played 20 November 2023^[29]

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Costa Rica	2010	3	0
	2011	1	0
	2012	9	1
	2013	19	1
	2014	9	0
	2015	10	0
	2016	3	0
	2017	12	0
	2018	11	0
	2019	5	0
	2020	1	0
	2021	5	0
	2022	0	0
	2023	2	0
Total		90	2

Scores and results list Costa Rica's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each González goal.

List of international goals scored by Giancarlo González
No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	25 May 2012	Estadio Nacional, San José, Costa Rica	Guatemala	3–2	3–2	Friendly
2	27 January 2013	Estadio Nacional, San José, Costa Rica	Honduras	1–0	1–0	2013 Copa Centroamericana