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Gustavo Canales
Personal information
Full name	Gustavo Javier Canales Bustos
Date of birth	30 March 1982 (age 42)
Place of birth	General Roca, Río Negro, Argentina
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s)	Forward
Team information
Current team	Audax Italiano (assistant)
Youth career
	Deportivo Roca
Senior career*
Years	Team
2004	Deportivo Roca
2004–2006	Cipolletti
2005	→ Aldosivi (loan)
2006	Guillermo Brown
2007–2008	Deportes La Serena
2007–2008	→ Once Caldas (loan)
2009	Unión Española
2010	River Plate
2010	Unión Española
2011	Universidad de Chile
2012	Dalian Aerbin
2012	Arsenal de Sarandí
2013–2014	Unión Española
2014–2016	Universidad de Chile
2016–2017	Botafogo
2017–2018	Unión Española
Total
International career
2011	Chile
Managerial career
2021–2022	Unión Española U21
2022	Unión Española (interim)
2023–	Audax Italiano (assistant)
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Gustavo Javier Canales Bustos (Spanish pronunciation: [ɡusˈtaβo kaˈnales]; born 30 March 1982) is a Chilean football coach and former player who played as a forward. He currently is the assistant coach of Audax Italiano.

Club career

He began his career at hometown Deportivo Roca in 2004. After his spells at Cipolletti, Aldosivi and Guillermo Brown, in 2007 he joined Chilean outfit Deportes La Serena.

In January 2010 the Argentinian club River Plate signed the striker from Unión Española on a 70% to 30% joint ownership deal for around $1 million until 2013.^[2] After a poor season with los millonarios, Canales returned to Chile to play for Unión Española.

Canales joined Chinese Super League side Dalian Aerbin on 11 February 2012 for a fee of US$2.6 million and signing a three-year deal.^[3] Canales scored four goals in his first five league games with Dalian Aerbin.

In 2013 Canales was suspended for 3 months after he failed a drug test.^[4]

International career

On 3 November 2011, was reported that Chile national team coach Claudio Borghi dispensed with Mauricio Pinilla due to knee injury, so he called Canales to play the 2014 World Cup qualification games with Uruguay and Paraguay^[5] amid a difficult environment that lived the team marked by showbiz scandals.^[6]

He internationally debuted on 11 November during the Uruguayan 4–0 thrash over Chile^[7] coming on as a 73rd-minute substitute.

In 2014, received a call-up from now manager Jorge Sampaoli (who coached him at Universidad de Chile) to play against Costa Rica at Coquimbo on 22 January, related to final nominees preparation to 23-man World Cup squad.^[8] However it was reported on 18 January that he would miss the game due to injury.^[9] Months later Canales was considered in the 30-provisional-man squad because his good shape shown at Unión Española despite missing the previous friendly matches.

Coaching career

In March 2021, he assumed as coach of the Unión Española U21 team.^[10] In September 2022, he took in charge of Unión Española senior team as interim manager after César Bravo was released.^[11]

On 21 November 2022, Unión Española announced that Canales was leaving the role of manager, and would not take any other role at the club.^[12] In April 2023, he joined Audax Italiano as the assistant coach of Luca Marcogiuseppe.^[13]

Personal life

At the end of 2010, he was naturalized Chilean nationality law, both his mother and his grandmother are Chilean.^[14]

Career statistics

Season	Club	League		Cup		Continental		Other		Total
Season	Club	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
La Serena	2007	13	11	—		—		—		13	11
	2008	16	10	—		—		—		16	10
	Total	29	21	—		—		—		29	21
Once Caldas (loan)	2007	19	3	—		—		—		19	3
	2008	14	1	—		—		—		14	1
	Total	33	4	—		—		—		33	4
Unión Española	2009	33	21	2	3	4	3	—		39	27
Unión Española	Total	33	21	2	3	4	3	—		39	27
River Plate	2009-10	14	2	—		—		—		14	2
River Plate	Total	14	2	—		—		—		14	2
Unión Española	2010	17	14	1	0	—		4	5	22	19
Unión Española	Total	17	14	—		—		4	5	21	19
Universidad de Chile	2011	29	16	—		8	3	—		37	19
Universidad de Chile	Total	29	16	—		8	3	—		37	19
Dalian Aerbin	2012	13	6	1	0	—		—		14	6
Dalian Aerbin	Total	13	6	1	0	—		—		14	6
Arsenal de Sarandí	2012-13	7	0	—		—		1	0	8	0
Arsenal de Sarandí	Total	7	0	—		—		1	0	8	0
Unión Española	2013	9	6	—		—		—		9	6
	2013-14	20	12	1	0	7	4	1	1	29	17
	Total	29	18	1	0	7	4	1	1	38	23
Universidad de Chile	2014-15	25	18	—		5	2	1	0	31	20
	2015-16	17	9	8	6	2	0	0	0	27	15
	Total	42	27	8	6	7	2	1	0	58	35
Total		245	127	13	9	26	12	7	6	292	156